WITCH: The Inbetween
by Madam Ionah
Summary: I DO NOT OWN W.I.T.C.H or any of its characters or worlds, those belong to Disney and its respectful author. This is just for fun, for more details please read the prologue. WARNING: this story contains blood, foul language, and controversial subjects. Contains Will X Phobos. Cover Image by MiKeiLo from DA.
1. Prologue

As Guardian of the Heart, Wilhelmina (Will) Vandom was very familiar with her home world, earth, and Meridian in Metamoor. However, between the two, there is another place. This place is only accessible if you incorrectly step through the portals connecting the two worlds. In this space live four young women; the purple eyed matriarch, the short-sighted care-taker, the cat-eared adventurer with poor directional sense, and the psychotic potion brewer. Had Will known what would happen if she met these four, she might have chosen a different path, for not only would an encounter with them turn her perception of the world upside-down, but it would turn a friend into an enemy, and an enemy into a lover.


	2. Chapter 1 The Stranger

It was a bright and sunny morning in Heatherfield when Will made her way to school; for once she had woken up before her alarm and could take her time with the long walk, which was pleasant. The mere thought of running in this heat made her break out in a sweat as, though it was only 6:00 am, the sun was high in the clear blue sky and the temperature was over 29-degree Celsius. Furthermore, she was excited to walk this early, as she knew Matt would be on his morning jog route and the thought of spending a few extra minutes before the drone of daily school life with her sweetheart made her smile. It was those simple morning meetings with him that made her forget her struggles as a guardian and the fights against Prince Phobos, allowing her to enjoy her teenage days.

She was surprised to find Matt, not jogging near the park or around his housing block, but right at the school gates. With a warm smile, she approached him and greeted him. "Morning Matt, I thought I would see you jogging; what is the matter?" she asked when she noted the glum expression on his face.

"Will, we need to talk." Not a good sign and she remembered when her parents said those words to each other. Still, she remained positive and smiling.

"Sure, what is it you want to talk about?"

"Will, you are an amazing girl and I love to hang out with you, but this whole W.I.T.C.H thing, it scares me." Will's stomach began to twist itself into knots, she knew where this was going, it was the only logical thing to happen."

"If you are so scared, you do not have to come with me and the girls to Meridian, I promise nothing is going to happen to us."

"It is not that Will. It is too much for me to handle; I still can't believe you Cornelia, Irma, Taranee, and Hey-Lyn have magic powers. Furthermore, I don't think I can handle the stress of an evil prince threatening all existence. Normally I would not say this, but in this case, ignorance is bliss."

"So…what you are saying is…"

"Will, I can't sleep, eat, or concentrate on school or work right now. I think I need some time alone to sort things out. Until then, I think it is better we put our relationship on ice."

Will was crushed. She understood his troubles and sympathized with him, but it still hurt and no matter how much he apologized, she still felt hurt and anger. Yes, anger; she too had gone through a lot of stress and sleepless nights since becoming a guardian, but she remained determined and relied on her friends for support. Why couldn't he?

He walked away after apologizing and that was a good thing since Will was unsure if she could keep herself from slapping his handsome face. She stood before the school gates for a good minute fighting tear and clenching her fists. Her first romance just came to a crashing halt. Wiping a few stray tears from her face, Will trudged towards the entrance of the school when she caught something in her peripheral vision. Will turned her head and there she stood; at the edge of the school property in a shadowy grove where the ground was covered in nettles stood a woman. There was something about her that unsettled Will, but she could not put her finger on it. Furthermore, she could feel the Heart of Kandracar lightly buzzed as if it too was unnerved. Will blinked, thinking a clearer vision would allow her to see the woman better, but the moment she opened her eyes, she was gone.

"I can't believe he broke up with you like this!" said Taranee in outrage as the group sat together during lunch. "I swear if I get my hands on him-"

"Don't be too harsh on him, Taranee." Interrupted Will, still feeling blue over the whole thing. "I understand how he feels."

"Still, there is a more tactful way to break up with a girl." Added Cornelia with her arms crossed and her pretty nose upturned.

"Still, Will is right about Matt. It is not every day that your girlfriend turns out to be a magical guardian." Replied Irma to Matt's defense.

"Will, if you need a shoulder to cry on, you can count on us." Added Hey Lin with a gentle smile while giving her friend a light yet comforting hug.

"Thanks, and I will be fine. Sorry for looking so gloomy." Will let out a heavy sigh, "I know it is just a teenage romance and that it was bound to end someday, I had just hopped it would not end like this. I guess I just need a little time to digest this whole situation."

"That's the spirit!" cheered Hay Lin and happily bounced in her seat at the lunch table.

"Yeah, you just wait and see; by the end of the week, Matt will come crawling back to you on his knees." Added Cornelia with a satisfied smile and Will could not help but chuckle at Corny's overconfident; however, the thought that Matt and she still had a chance was comforting.

Just then, Matt entered the cafeteria with a group of his friends laughing and smiling as if the break-up never occurred. Will could feel all her confidence slip away and once again her heart ached. The world sun and she could not breathe. Fighting back tears, Will excused herself from the lunch table and rushed through the empty halls of the Sheffield Institute and to the open courtyard. How could he act like that after breaking up with her less than three hours ago? If she could have, she would have run all the way home and excused herself from school for the rest of the day, but that is when she ran into someone and hit the ground hard on her butt. Looking up through teary eyes, she saw who it was; it was her, the woman from the nettle grove.

Finally, Will could see why that woman made her feel uneasy; she was way too beautiful to be human. Her face was heart-shaped and her skin was white as milk, her almond-shaped eyes were a bright avocado green that seemed to glow on their own, Her swan neck and petite yet curvy figure gave her the appearance of a busty ballet dancer, and her waist-length blond hair shone like gold in the midday sun and was adorned with bright pink highlights. However, all this was nothing compared to her smile, which confirmed Will's suspicion.

"Pardon me." Said the women in a honey-sweet voice and flashed Will her pearly white teeth; teeth that were razor sharp and accompanied by unusually longer canines. This woman was no human. Will was so fixated on that woman, that she did not notice her carrying an armful of nettles, which Will was allergic against. As quickly as she had appeared, the woman walked away.

Though surprised by the woman's beauty, Will quickly got up and tried to follow her from a distance. If this woman was inhuman, she might be from Meridian; she could be a spy sent by Prince Phobos. Will had to at least make sure; there was no time to get the others, so if she would try to keep herself out of trouble. Following the women around to the back of the school, Will tried to remain quiet and observe the woman from a distance. Behind the school, where delivery trucks would stop, Will saw the woman take a piece of chalk from a pocket in her skirt and draw an arch on the wall. Could this be a form of a portal? Yes, it was, as the woman muttered some words under her breath and then walked through the archway. Will quickly followed but stopped right before the archway; the wall still looked intact, but Will felt the heart buzz and pound like crazy, so there must be something different about the wall, something the woman had done to it.

Carefully, Will touched the space inside the archway and her hand passed through as if it were a holograph. Taking a deep breath, she walked through the arch expecting to emerge in Merdian, but to her surprise, she stood before a wooden door. It was a pretty wooden door with an oval piece of stained glass in the center. Furthermore, she stood on a wooden porch with a porch light illuminating the area; looking behind her, Will expected to see the rest of the world this house belonged in, but there was absolutely nothing. Behind her was only three steps as if this place used to belong somewhere. Could this be the center of the universe? No, Will had been there; this place did not appear to be anywhere. With nowhere else to go, she turned back to the door and knocked.

Within seconds, someone opened the door. Before she stood a young woman in a bright blue jacket, with short, brown hair and brown eyes behind a pair of thick glasses.

"Umm, hello. Who are you and how did you get here?" asked the women with a raised eyebrow.

"Hi, I'm Will-"

"Will?" interrupted the woman, obviously expecting a full name.

"Well, my name is Wilhelmina Vandom. I followed a blond woman here. Where am I?"

"Well, Miss Vandom, you are in the Inbetween. My name is Diana Pierce. Please come in." said the woman and let Will into the entry hall of the house. Even inside, Will felt strange about this place.

"The Inbetween?"

"Yes, the Inbetween. As for the woman you followed, that would be Sophia Heiler. She has a horrible habit of forgetting to close portals when she goes on her plant hunts. Why were you following her in the first place?" asked the women with a sigh, it was clear that she was getting annoyed by Sophia's reckless behavior.

"I thought she was a spy of my enemy. She did not appear human." Answered Will feeling embarrassed.

"Well, she is not human, so you are right on that part. As for the spy part, you could not be further from the truth." Said Diana with a wave of her hand, "If you do not believe me, you can meet her."

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Yeah, no problem about it, besides, you appear to be growing a rash on your neck; she might have something against that." Will felt the spot Diana pointed out and gasped.

"The must have come from the nettles!" yelped Will in shock as she remembered her allergy.

"Hey don't panic. Let me guess, allergies? Yeah, she got stuff to help you. Come." Said Diana in a reassuring voice and beckoned Will to follow her down the hall and around a corner, where the two came to a wooden door with a silver "S" on it. Diana knocked on it and Sophia quickly opened.

"Yeah?" asked Sophia, not noticing Will.

"You need to pay more attention to your surroundings. You struck someone with your stupid nettles and you let her follow you!" It was then that Sophia noticed Will and the growing rash.

"Oh, well, come in," responded Sophia and opened to door for Diana and Will to enter. Inside, the room appeared huge and filled to the brim with all kinds of plants imaginable. Some carried bright flowers, others fruits, and some were simply green and plump with leaves. As Sophia turned her attention onto a table stocked with jars, Diana leaned and whispered to Will.

"Do not eat or drink anything she offers you. She had a habit of putting poison in thing." This made Will panic a little as Sophia returned and offered Will a jar full of a clear past.

"This helps against nettle rash." Said Sophia with a smile and watched as Will took some and smeared it on her rash. Will sighed and even smiled as the cool sensation of the past spread over the rash.

"Thank you."

"How about some lemonade? To apologize for touching you with the nettles and letting you get here." Offered Sophia, her green eyes glowing with a hint of mischief.

"Eh-, no thank you, but why were you gathering nettles and why those from my school?"

"Oh, that is simple. I needed them to make an oil against arthritis pain. People pay me for my oils, lotions, potions, and creams; all of which are made from pure plant ingredients. As for why I got them from your school, well, they are the best. I have tried to grow them here, but they never turned out as good. In all truth, I have been collecting to ones from that grove for years. I usually do that at night, but I simply did not get to it this time. Now, I get to ask you: Why did you follow me?" asked Sophia, leaning a little closer to Will and smiling; showing off her sharp teeth.

"I thought you were a spy sent by my enemy. I thought that because you did not appear to be human."

"Well, you are right about me being non-human, but I am not a spy." Said Sophia and returning to her table of jars and potions. Now, how about you two get out of my room. Izzy doesn't like you guys."

"Who is Izzy? "Asked Will as Diana grab her arm and was dragged out of Sophia's room.

"It is her pet Kiwi bird." Replied Diana and managed to open the door and lead Will out just as there came a whistle sound in the far distance of the room. Quickly, she shut the door and sighed, leaning against it. "Want some tea?"


	3. Chapter 2 Small Answers

Sitting at the small kitchen table, Will twiddled her thumbs while Diana went about brewing some hot water for tea. This place surely was different from anything Will had ever known; it took her and Diana less than 10 steps from Sophia's room to the kitchen, yet, once there and looking back, the hallway looked much longer. Now, Will sat and wondered how to organically ask a few questions about this place.

"I am sorry for suddenly appearing at your front door and accusing your friend to be a spy." Said Will while looking down at the table.

"Don't worry about it. It is actually refreshing to have someone new visit for once. As you have probably noticed, not too many folks come around here. To be honest, there are only four that occupy this place and two of them are rarely here. With Sophia being a bit of a recluse, it gets rather quiet here." Replied Diana and set a glass cup in front of Will and pouring the steaming hot water before offering Will a tea from a tin box. The box was filled with marble sized flower buds.

"Here you go, make your choice of tea." Explained Diana as Will picked a random bud.

"I have never seen tea like this." Explained Will as she carefully dropped the bud into her cup of hot water and watching it unfold into a delicate blue flower at the bottom of the cup and coloring the water a light green-blue.

"Wow, where did you get this tea from?" asked Will, taking a closer look at the beautiful flower in her cup.

"I use to get this from a shop in my village, however, since I moved here my friends get the tea for me." Answered Diana and dropped a bud into her own teacup, watching hers unfold and turn the water a deep emerald green.

"Why don't you buy it yourself, don't you miss your village? Besides, you said yourself how quiet it gets here at times. Also, what is this place anyway, it doesn't appear to have a set space?" carefully. Will inhaled the scent of the tea and smiled at the smell of a field of flowers. Blowing the steam from the cup, she took a small sip. It was delicious.

"My don't you ask a lot of questions. First, I haven't left this place since my friend K.C. brought me here. My home got destroyed during the war and I had nothing to return to once I got here. To be honest, I have no reason to leave. Sure it gets quiet, but I am missing nothing, so, why should I risk leaving this place? As for why this place…I am unsure about it. I know this place grows and shrinks depending on what you are thinking. If you know where you want to go, you will get there, but If you do not have a destination in mind, you could be walking for hours and never get anywhere." Said Diana and sipped her tea. Will wanted to ask more but felt it wrong to prod at an open wound. Instead, the two girls sat there at the table drinking tea in silence. Will was unsure of how to kill this awkward silence when, suddenly, a person appeared just above the table and crashed into it, spilling the teapot and its boiling contents onto the floor.

"What in the world!" yelled Will and jumped to her feet, tightly clutching the teacup in surprise.

"Damn it, Nana! Can you show up here one time without causing a mess?" Unlike Will, Diana was not surprised nor frightened. It was obvious that this happened regularly. It wasn't long before Will calmed down enough to notice who or what lay on the table in front of her. It looked human enough to be a person, but at the same time, the ears and tale made it clear it wasn't. She knew she should not question what she was seeing since there were plenty of strange creatures in Meridian that she saw on a regular basis.

"Sorry, but when you are falling to your death from a prison tower, the last thing you think about is a graceful landing!" replied the cat-girl on the table in a mocking way before sitting up and turning to look at Will. "You are a new face. My name is Nana and you?"

"M-my name is Will Vandom." Replied Will, slightly put off by Nana's directness. Nana, in turn, smiled widely, showing off her cat teeth, and shook Wills hand in a warm greeting. Meanwhile, Diana took a rag and handed it to Nana with the unspoken order to mop up the spilled water and clean up her mess. Before returning to her seat at the table. With a grumble, Nana went to work cleaning up the mess.

"So, you know each other? " asked Will hesitantly.

"Nana and I go way back, even before I got to the Inbetween."

"And Diana has always been this bossy!" replied Nana, getting up from the floor; it was then that Will noticed just how short Nana was. She had to be less than 5 feet tall. With her short stature, large chocolate eyes, big fluffy tail, and shiny brown hair, Will had to admit how cute Nana looked. "So, where are you from?"

"I am from-" that is when Will remembered her school; in a panic, she looked around the room for a clock and when she found one she froze in horror; she had been in the Inbetween for a full hour. Surely she is late for class and her friends are probably worried sick over her absence. "Oh no, I am late for class!"

Diana and Nana simply exchanged glances and smiled.

"Do not worry about being late for anything my dear." Said Diana and patted Will's shoulder while leading her to the front door. "You have to understand one thing, this place does not go with any world. You will understand once you get back to your world." Just as Diana was about to open the door, Will turned to her.

"Wait, how will I find you guys again?" asked Will. Though she had only known the three girls for a short moment, she felt like they were friends for years.

"Don't worry, Sophia will be out later in the day to collect more nettles. Just follow her and bring some friends if you like." Answered Diana and opened the door. Gently she ushered Will through the door and, with a blink, Will was back in her world. Rushing to the front doors that she had burst through, she ran into Taranee, who had rushed out the doors in search for her.

"Will, are you alright?" Asked Taranee and placed her hands on Will's shoulders. "Look, I know it hurts to see Matt right now, but you can't just run out like this and give us a heart attack."

"I am so sorry. I just needed some fresh air. Wait, why are you out of class for me?" asked Will, knowing that they had agreed to cover for each other in case one had to make a crash course to Meridian. That included going to class and taking notes.

"What do you mean? It is still lunch time." Taranee became worried over her friend. She understood that a broken heart can mess someone up, but never like this.

"What? No way. I have been gone for well over an hour!" replied Will in amazement.

"Uh, no you haven't, I just ran after you. Will are you alright?"

"I think so, but I swear I was gone for longer than that. I followed the women who were picking nettles by the grove to a house in the middle of nowhere…Oh, you probably won't believe me." That is when Will remembered what Diana had said. "But, if you and the others follow me after school I can prove to you that I was gone for hours in that house." Still, Taranee looked at her friend worried as she led Will back to the lunch room area. Once there Will tried to convince the others what she had encountered, but they did not believe her. There was little Will could do too but wait until the end of school

Throughout class, Will could hardly keep her mind on her subjects, she couldn't even concentrate on biology and it was her favorite subject. To Will, time seemed to tick by as slow as cold honey and she wondered what she could have said to her friends to convince them to come with her to that strange place. Why couldn't they have just used an Astro Drop like they do whenever they need to leave for Meridian. Furthermore, she wondered where that house stood? It clearly wasn't in Metamoor or Earth. Perhaps the Council or the Oracle could tell her what that was since they seem to know everything about every world. She knew there were others beside Earth and Metamoor; even if she didn't know of other worlds, there must be others. However, looking back on it, she remembered seeing only darkness behind her when she stood at the house's front door.

Finally, three hours later school let out and she met her friends at the front steps, her heart raced like mad as she rushed to them. "Are you guys ready?" she asked.

"So you really want to drag us to this place?" asked Cornelia with folded arms, clearly not keen on the idea. Will looked around but saw no sign of Sophia.

"I promised Diana I would come back. Besides, I need to get back to Sophia. I need more of her nettle ointment. There is a spot she missed." Will slightly pulled the collar of her shirt down to reveal a tiny rash on her collarbone where the nettles had gotten through her clothes.

"But you are highly allergic to nettles, you sure all you need is an ointment?" Irma's voice was shrill with concern and she carefully inspected the rash consisting of a thumbprint-sized red spot and three little blisters.

"Yeah, for some reason, I don't need anything. It was worse earlier, but then Sophia cured it. She is really good at those things."

"Well Will, if you think it is a good idea, we will go with you, but at the first sign of trouble we are booking it." Said Taranee and Hay-Lyn nodded in agreement.

Confident that her friends were by her side, Will led them to the backside of the school and carefully ran her hand along the wall, hoping that the portal was still open.

"Fondling the wall like that makes you look like a crazy woman. At least be less conspicuous." Critiqued Cornelia as she looked over her shoulder.

"Corny has a point, please hurry up," Hay-Lyn added nervously.

Just as Will was beginning to think she wouldn't find it, her fingers dipped into the wall as though it were water.

"Found it!" cheered Will and, without waiting for her friends, jumped it. The rest of the W.I.T.C.H girls looked at each other before following their friend; finding themselves within the blink of an eye, found themselves in front of the old door of the Victorian-style house. Looking over her shoulder, Will smiled at her friends in an "I told you so fashion." Before turning and knocking on the door; just as before, it opened within seconds with a smiling Diana standing before them.

"Welcome back Wilhelmina, and glad to see you brought your friends. Please come in." said Diana and stepped aside for the gang to enter, "Had you told me it would be three hours, I would have prepared something to eat. Oh well, sandwiches would have to do." It was then that Will noticed Diana wearing something different from before.

"Diana, how much time has changed here?" asked Will while keeping her friends at the corner of her sight.

"How long were you in your world?" asked Diana toyingly.

"School ended three hours after I left this place." At this point, Will was twitching for an answer.

"Well, here three days have passed."

Will was dumbfounded, and her friends gazed at Diana open-mouthed. It had been three full days while it was only three hours for Will. She had a theory that time passed differently here than back home from her first visit, but she had no idea it was this drastic. Did time pass differently in all worlds? Is there a difference between Metamoor and Earth? What are the implications of living in this place too long? Does one age faster or is age halted; furthermore, how long has Diana spent here and how old was she?

"I can tell you all are confused, and I will explain everything in a bit, but may I first guide you to the kitchen for some refreshments?" Diana could sense shock in the entry-hall. It was practically thick enough to cut with a knife. It was then that Will snapped out of it.

"Great idea, but may I see Sophia first? I got a patch that got skipped earlier and it burns."

"Sure, go right ahead and they meet us in the kitchen. You do remember the way around here, do you?"

"Yes, I do. As long as I think of where I am going I'll get there and Sophia's door has an S on it."

Satisfied, Diana led the other four away to the kitchen leaving Will alone in the entryway. With a deep breath, Will pictured Sophia's door in her mind and took a step forward. Opening her eyes, her heart thudded when she saw the "S". it had worked, but it still surprised will how well it did. Hesitantly, she knocked.

"Who is it?" came the muffled reply.

"It is Will, from three days ago. I came back for more of that nettle cream!" Will barely finished the sentence when the door opened and a hand with the nettle-cream jar popped out.

"Izzy is fussing around. Take what you need and go." Will did as ordered and the hand disappeared as quickly as it appeared; from behind the door, Will heard the shrill whistle from earlier. After tending to the remaining rash, Will went to the kitchen, where her friends and Diana were settled at the table, each with a steaming cup of colored tea in their hand and one hot cup waiting for Will.

Again, Will's flower bud produced blue tea, but Will did not mind. Thankfully, this time Cornelia was the one to ask questions, which were the ones Will had in her head earlier summed up into one.

"How does time work here?"

"Well, it is strange. From what I could gather, a minute here is like a second elsewhere, a minute here is like a second, and a day is like an hour. Despite that, I and Sophia haven't aged much. Well, I can't say how Sophia ages, but I have aged as though I still lived outside this place, I just get more out of my time. In addition, if you get hurt, you get more time to heal and death is less likely. I should know with my friend Nana. The girl is tough, but I had to patch her up a few times. If it weren't for this place, she would be dead."

It was then that Hay-Lyn chirped up. "Will mentioned that this place is created and exists outside of any world."

"Well, more like in between worlds; hence the name. You can get here if you step through a portal leading to this place, or incorrectly step through one that leads elsewhere. Instead of taking a full step through, take half a step and wait. As for the 'created part,' my friend K.C. created this place, though she doesn't really live here…Well, she does not live anywhere. I am not even sure what she is or if it is a she. However, this does not matter. I am grateful to count her as a friend and this as my home."


	4. Chapter 3 The Poison Maker

"So, your friend created this place and lets you live here for free? That is awesome." Said Hay-Lin with a smile while sipping her orange colored tea. The conversation had become strangely uncomfortable and stale. Secretly, Will hopped for the cat girl to drop onto the table again to kill this awkwardness. As though thinking of her summoned her, Nana appeared gracefully beside Diana from thin-air in a pose of a professional gymnast. As expected, Will's four friends gasped in surprise.

"Glad to see that you did not wreck anything when appearing for once." Diana's greeting was flat and sounded more like an exhausted mom than a roommate.

"Well, I wasn't fearing for my life this time. So, I had time to clearly think where to land; I figured you would be in the kitchen, as always." Replied Nana in a snarky tone of voice before noticing Will and the rest of the W.I.T.C.H gang. "Wow, this is the most people we have ever had in the Inbetween. Is it someone's birthday?"

"Oh my god, it is a real-life Neko!" gasped Hay-Lin before squealing with delight and bouncing in her seat; trying to restrain herself from jumping up and flinging herself at Nana.

"A wat?" the glazed, confused, look in Nana's eyes it was clear that she had never heard that word, let alone was referred to as one. "Care to 'xplain what a Neko is, pigtails?"

"Please don't mind Hay-Lin, she just gets easily excited." Said Cornelia, slightly embarrassed of her friend's childish outburst; though, she herself was looking at Nana stunned. Will only rolled her eyes to herself. Though Nana was an odd sight to look at, it wasn't everyday one would see an animal-human hybrid. She could understand Hay-Lyn's excitement, she too had been in awe at seeing Nana for the first time. She could even understand Irma and Taranee whispering to each other about Nana's appearance; what she could not understand was Cornelia. If anything, Cornelia had been acting funny for several days; perhaps it was that tough teenage-phase she heard of from her mother.

"Where we are from, a Neko is Japanese's for cat and girls that look like you are often called Neko." Explained Will over the rim of her cup.

"Well, that does sound cuter than mutt, but I am used to being called that. So, who are all these folks?" Asked Nana, gesturing to involve the entire kitchen.

"These are my friends Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay-Lyn." Said Will, gesturing to each guardian respectfully. "I told them about this place and asked them to come along since Diana mentioned how quiet it gets around here."

"Well, Diana has a point." Replied Nana and took her seat at the table.

Just then Sophia entered the kitchen, looking at the tea party. "Where is mine?"

"How was I supposed to know when you emerged from that forest you all a room?" replied Diana.

"Fine, I'll make my own cup." Huffed Sophia and grabbed hold of the teapot, but Diana shot up from her chair and yanked the teapot out of Sophia's hands.

"You keep your hands off my teapot! The stuff you make is not fit for human- nay- living consumption. I would sooner let you ignite an atom bomb in MY KITCHEN then let you make even a single cup of tea here."

"Alright, I'll have a seat with the guests and you make me a cup of tea."

The exchange was settled and Diana, begrudgingly got up to make more hot water for tea while Sophia took Diana's seat at the table, introducing herself to the rest of the group. Diana informed the group to keep a watchful eye on their cups as Sophia might attempt to sneak something into them and Sophia frowned as though missing out on a tone of fun.

"I am beginning to see why you mistook her for a Meridian spy, she is so beautiful." Whispered Irma over the rim of her cup to Will.

"Thank you for the compliment, but speaking of that Meridian, who is this guy that you all think sent me as a spy?" Sophia in Will's stead.

"I was worried that Prince Phobos from Meridian had sent a spy, but now I know he hasn't, so can we please drop the subject?"

"Why would that Phobos guy send a spy after you?" asked Nana, obviously a can of worms had been opened that demanded answers in order to be closed.

"Prince Phobos is an evil guy who wants to rule over existence and we are the only ones standing in his way. That is why he would send a spy after us. With Will being our leader, it is easy to speculate he would target her." Answered Irma in Will's stead.

"So you are his enemy number one, so to speak?" asked Sophia with a grin. "I never thought I would have tea with a political rival."

"I am not a political rival, just his worst enemy and he would do anything to get me out of the way." Responded Will, returning her attention to her tea.

"Ruling over existence sounds like a difficult thing to manage. Why does he want to do that?" asked Nana

"He is evil and that is all that matters." Replied Cornelia. "What else would an evil wizard do?"

"Look blondie, I have met several evil, magical, Lord's in my life that wanted to rule the world, so I know there is always more of a reason then just 'they are evil.' Have you tried getting his attention on something else? How about stamp collecting, would he be interested in that? 'Cause trying to become the most powerful in existence is like trying to rearrange deck chairs on a sinking ship." this earned Nana an angered look from Cornelia.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? He is evil, who cares what his motivations are and who cares what his hobbies are? He isn't going to stop on his own, so we are the ones to stop him."

"Alright, then why not just have him assassinated? There are thousands of flavorless/odorless poisons, why not kill him off and put someone else in power?" suggested Sophia

"Sophia, that is the worst decision you could have come up with. Have you considered the power vacuum that would create?" stated Diana as she finally presented her with a cup of tea at the perfect temperature. Not too hot, not too cold. Sophia thanked Diana and took her up to her room.

At the mentioning of murder, a chill ran down Will's spine. She didn't like Phobos, but she didn't wish him dead either. If anything, she hoped Phobos could be captured and his sister Elyon put into place with as little bloodshed as possible.

"Please don't pay Sophia any attention. She is the type of person to find a quick and permanent fix. This doesn't mean any of her fixings are any good." Said, Diana, as though sensing Will's discomfort

However, the idea had been planted in their minds and wouldn't leave. Sophia was right, it would end him and his wicket action, but Diana was equally correct. Looking up at the clock, Cornelia gasped as she was supposed to be on a date with Caleb. The date was supposed to clear-up some hiccups in their relationship. Will sighed, clearly, nothing she had told her earlier had stuck. The five girls finished their tea, helped clean up, and thanked Diana for her excellent tea. Will even promised to return the next day before returning to the back side of the school. Once there, all except Will were shocked at how little time had passed.

"Well, at least I'll have extra time to prepare for my date. See you guys tomorrow at school." Said Cornelia and rushed off. The others said their goodbyes and went along their way. At home, Will internally groaned when she discovered Mr. Collins was sitting on the couch waiting for her mother to get ready for their date. For the past week, Will's mother had barely been home; always out on some date with her new boyfriend. At first, Will was angry, but had grown to accept that her mother deserved another shot at love; besides, Mr. Collins seemed to make her happy. However, today, Will could have used her mother's advice on how to get over a sudden break-up. She said her half-hearted greetings to Mr. Collins and joined him on the sofa.

"Hello, Will, how are your studies going?" asked Dean concerned, he had seen Will earlier and noted her sour mood.

"My boyfriend broke up with me this morning for no real reason, but I'll be alright. It was just my first teenage romance."

"Well, I am sorry to hear that. Nice that you are being so mature about this; however, should you need someone to talk to you, your mother and I are there for you. Who was your boyfriend and why did he break up with you?"

"Thank you Mr. Collins, but I'll be fine. Matt and I simply didn't work out. Enjoy your date." She picked up her bag and rushed to her room before Mr. Collins could correct her on the name she should call him by when school is out. She knew his name but didn't have the mind for it at the time; despite the pleasant experience of meeting the girls of the Inbetween, her heart still ached like it had been garroted with guitar wire.

When Susan came out of her bedroom, dressed in her finest black dress, Dean simply mentioned to her that Will might need some assistance later that evening. He didn't feel it be his place to tell Susan everything that was wrong and how to fix it.

XXXXX

On her date with Caleb at the Heatherfield park, Cornelia couldn't help but tell him everything about the Inbetween and the people within it. From how Will found it and told her about it, to what she experienced herself; she even told him about Nana's suggestion to interest Prince Phobos in stamp collecting and about Sophia and what she suggested to be done with Phobos. Cornelia neglected Diana's warning of a power vacuum as she didn't believe in it. She tried to say anything to keep Caleb's attention on her, as she had felt it slipping in the past weeks. Caleb was her first true love and she would try anything to keep him.

However, the mentioning of Sophia's ability to make poisons and the suggestion of assassination spiked his interest. Caleb hated Prince Phobos with a passion and the idea of permanently getting rid of him sounded enticing. He mentally noted where the portal was to the Inbetween and planned to visit Sophia once the date was over. He still felt affection for Cornelia, but it wasn't like it had been when he first met her. She was still the most beautiful, but the spark was gone. Instead, Caleb found himself thinking of Cornelia's friend Will more and more.

The thought of murder itself was frightening, but to Caleb, Phobos did not deserve to live another minute. Once the poison was procured, he could find a way to sneak it into the castle and into the food or drink of the dark tyrant.

After the date, Caleb pretended to return to his world but snuck away instead and made his way directly to the backside of the school. There, he patted the walls until his hand passed through the brickwork. Smiling to himself, Caleb jumped through the invisible portal, he found himself in front of the door of the Inbetween. Confidently, he knocked and a woman fitting Diana's description answered.

"Umm…Hello. How may I help you?" asked Diana confused.

"Hello, my name is Caleb, I am a friend of Wilhelmina Vandom. I apologize for my sudden appearance, but I have a sick parent and Will mentioned how crafty Sophia is with her tinctures. Is it possible to have a talk with her? I am willing to pay anything."

"Oh, I am sorry. Sure come in and follow me." Replied Diana and let Caleb in and lead him to Sophia's door. "Make it quick though and don't consume anything she offers you." She then knocked on Sophia's door, "Sophia, you have a surprise customer!"

Caleb thanked Diana for her guidance before she walked off and waited for Sophia to open her door, growing more and more anxious. At first, the door in front of Caleb only opened a crack; just enough for him to see Sophia's avocado green eyes. "How can I help you?"

Caleb leaned in and whispered, "I heard you know about poisons."

"What do you need poison for?"

"You met my friends earlier and mentioned assassination to them. That is would be an effective way to get rid of Prince Phobos."

"Alright, so an assassination it is. Is there anything special about the poison you wish?"

"Special poison?" Caleb was a little stumped as he hadn't fully planned his assassination plot.

"Do you want it to work quickly, slowly, with a lot of suffering, a little suffering, with sure, or without a cure? I need to know what you want so I know what to make," asked Sophia, slightly annoyed how vague her customer was being. "Otherwise, you could have gone to your local alchemist and asked for a potent rat poison."

Caleb thought for a minute and then made up his mind. He was going to make Phobos suffer for his mother's death. "It needs to be odorless and flavorless, or it can be sweet and pleasant; just good enough so he wouldn't think to spit it out. It should potent, without a cure, and make him suffer. It should take effect immediately, but not kill him immediately. That tyrannical bastard killed my mother and deserves to suffer for his sins."

"Alright," it was clear Sophia was taking notes, "I will make the poison and you and pick it up tomorrow evening your time. I have an idea of what to make and just need to collect a few ingredients. You better have a form of payment or I won't give you the poison. Is that understood?"

"You are being crystal clear. Also, can you keep it a secret from Will and her friends? I know Will well enough to know she is against murder." Replied Caleb.

"Sure, I'll keep this between us; I usually keep quiet about my clients. Again, it will be ready when you return. If you cannot pay, I will keep the poison. Do you have a way to administer it?"

"I will think of a way, which is why it needs to be difficult to detect. Do you have an estimate on what it is going to cost?"

"It is going to be a little on the expensive side as some of the ingredients are rare and the plants they come from are extinct. I'll get to work right away."

Caleb thanked Sophia and as fast as he met Sophia, her door was closed again and Diana had returned to his side with a cup of tea. Still thanking her, he declined the offer of tea and asked to be lead to the front door; secretively smiling to himself. Soon, the tyrannical Prince Phobos would stop being a menace to everyone Caleb loved.


	5. Chapter 4 The Deal

Will woke up early once more the next day; however, her waking wasn't willingly, like it has been the previous day. Will awoke from the cold biting her feet. She fell asleep with her window wide open, which allowed the night air to creep into her room like an uninvited guest. As usual, Will had kicked off her covers. With an annoyed grumble, she yanked off the remaining corner that covered her and got out of her bed. She wasn't looking forward to the school day ahead. She knew she would run into Matt again and she still needed to explain her situation to her mother and Mr. Collins. The only two silver linings of the day were that she would meet her friends and return to the Inbetween.

After the morning was and getting dressed, she met her mother at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal waiting for her.

"I heard you get up and thought I would fix you a bowl." Said Susan with a smile, hoping to cheer up her daughter. "Dean informed me that you and your boyfriend broke-up. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." Responded Will, taking her seat at the table and half-heartedly stirring her cereal, "I just wanted to know how to get over a break-up. After all, you and dad- "

"The divorce was mutual." Susan broke in, "However, I had my heart broken a few times in my youth. My personal remedy was ice-cream and purging my closet of all the gifts my ex gave me. That way I could start anew."

"Ice-cream sounds good." Replied Will and ate a bit of her breakfast, "Is there a particular flavor?"

Susan couldn't help but giggle at her daughter's silly questions; it was clear that Will was still very young for the world if she thought she could solve a broken heart with a simple ice-cream patch. "I recommend Mint-Chocolate-Chip."

Will giggled along with her mother and nodded her head and then became quiet again. "You are going on another date with Mr. Collins tonight, aren't you?"

"I can cancel if you need me to." That was poor phrasing and Susan knew it the moment the words left her mouth. As expected, Will shoved the empty bowl to the center of the table and got up, grabbing her book-bag from the sofa on her way out. "Wait, Will- "

"I know, dinner is in the fridge and I need to keep an eye on it as it cooks in the oven." Will was nearly out the door but stopped and looked over her shoulder at her mother with a faint smile, "Mom, I'll be alright. Besides, I got plenty of homework to keep my mind busy. I'll pick up a small tub of ice-cream on my way home. Please go and enjoy yourself." Then she left for school.

Thankfully, Will did not come across Matt on her way to school, nor had she seen him at the school's entrance. However, she still felt empty inside and her feet remained cold. She greeted her friends as usual and even asked Cornelia how her date went.

"It went alright, Caleb was very thrilled to learn about the Inbetween."

"You told him of the Inbetween?" asked Irma with a raised eyebrow, "Why?"

"Why wouldn't I tell him? I have no secrets towards my boyfriend." This the gang could accept, and the subject was quickly dropped. They talked about their plans for the upcoming weekend; of how they planned to help Hay-Lyn remodel her room, which included a sleepover and breakfast at The Silver Dragon. With an afterschool visit to the Inbetween and only two days until the sleepover party, Will felt optimistic. Perhaps this break-up would only be a little hiccup in her life. A flash of heartache that would disappear within the blink of an eye. Still, she felt lethargic and found it a little difficult to keep her attention to her studies; Biology was a little better than the previous day, but it still felt mundane to her.

All to soon, it was lunchtime, for lunch, the gang decided to pay the Inbetween an early visit.

"Do you think it is a good idea to visit Diana so early? I mean, we told her we would visit after school." Questioned Will, she was excited to return to the Inbetween, but she did not want to become a burden to her new friend.

"Well, she did mention how we were always welcomed; besides, we won't stay long. We will just come by, spend some time with her, and then return later." Was Taranee's response.

Though they were a little skeptical about the portal still being there, especially Cornelia who voiced her opinion that the portal wouldn't be there after a full night, they were surprised to find portal exactly where they left it the previous day. Knocking on the front door of the Victorian house, Diana was nearly giddy to see her new friends again. As though they were old friends, she welcomed them in and lead them to the kitchen, where a pot of water was boiling on the stove. Tea time was all the time in the Inbetween.

"Honestly, I hadn't expected you five here so soon. Isn't it around noon or so where you are from?"

"It is fifteen minutes past one in the afternoon. We thought we would pay you a visit during our lunch break." Explained Hay-Lyn excited about the tea they would soon be having. Her favorite part was the surprise tea flowers and she wondered what color she would get today. Today, her flower was a bright red that dyed the water pink and smelled of berries.

"Why didn't you mention this sooner, then I would be preparing something to eat for you guys." Said Diana with a little panic in her voice. She was raised to be the ideal hostess, and letting her guests go hungry wasn't an option.

"Don't worry Diana, we thought of bringing our own." Replied Taranee, holding up her lunchbox, "We thought we could share with each other."

"Still, I should provide at least a little something," was Diana's reply and headed to the pantry. As Diana exited, Sophia entered with a little brown something in her hand.

"What is that?" asked Cornelia with a hint of disgust in her voice as she pointed a slender finger at the breathing brown mass.

"This is Izzy and I wanted to feed him." Was Sophia's retort and set the brown ball on the table as she headed towards the pantry. On the table, the brown ball stood up on its' stick-like legs and ahead, with a long straight beak, lifted high into the air. It was a young Kiwi bird.

"Oh my, he is adorable." Will tried to keep her shrieking excitement low in order not to scare the little creature in front of her. With open fascination, she stared at the flightless bird before her. Its bark beak shone as though polished and complimented the creature's eyes and legs. Its chocolate brown feathers were flecked with spots of gray and dark-brown. The bird's feathers appeared so soft, she felt compelled to touch them. Cornelia, being seated behind the creature, did not share Will's fascination.

"I wouldn't touch that thing if I were you." Warned Cornelia, however, the warning fell on deaf ears and Will continued to reach for the tiny bird, which recoiled its' head a bid to avoid her touch. Just as Sophia exited the pantry with a handful of nuts, Will's fingertips touched the bird's chest. The Kiwi, not used to being touch by anyone other than Sophia pecked at Will's hand with its' sharp beak, breaking the skin and causing Will's hand to bleed.

Will gasped in pain and retracted her hand and Sophia was quick to act.

"Did I tell anyone you could touch him?" Sophia pulled a handkerchief from a pocket in her skirt and tightly wrapped it around Will's bleeding hand. "Come with me, I got something to stop the bleeding." With one hand she ushered Will to her room while she carried her pet with the other. As the two women left the kitchen Cornelia called after them.

"I told you not to touch that bird!"

Within a few steps, the two women were in Sophia's room. Inside, Will noted a dark red substance suspended over a flame in a glass flask; whatever it was made the room smell sweet and pleasant. She wondered what it could be; she didn't remember Sophia mentioning that she produced perfumes. "What is that on the burner?"

Sophia stopped gathering medical supplies and looked at thing Will asked about. "It is for a customer."

"Okay, but what is it?" Will asked again, despite the sweet smell something told her that the dark liquid spelled trouble.

"It is a potion for the heart." Replied Sophia and turned her attention to the small cut on Will's hand. The wound wasn't too deep and didn't require any stitches. After cleaning the wound, Sophia placed a small dab of salve on the cut, and then covered it with a bandage.

"So, it is heart medicine?" asked Will, her eyes still on the red liquid.

"Are you going to ask me questions about my work all day? It is quite annoying." Sophia stated bluntly and then patted Will's hand, gesturing that it was all taken care of.

"Sorry, I was just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat." Was Sophia's retort as the stored away her medical supplies and fed Izzy the nuts from her skirt pocket. "Now return to the kitchen or your tea will get cold."

Will did as she was told without any further questions; she felt she had overstayed her welcome with Sophia. When she returned to the kitchen, she stood in the threshold and stared at the scene before her with surprise. Sitting at the kitchen table was Nana, apparently having a staring contest with Cornelia. The three other guardians sat and stared at the two in amazement. Nana's eyes were wide open and seemed to hold Cornelia's as though there was an invisible connection. Quietly returning to her seat at the table, Will learned to Hay-Lyn and asked in a low voice, "What is going on?"

"Nana is showing us how she hypnotizes people." Was Hay-Lyn's hushed reply. "Isn't it fascinating?"

"Hypnosis?" Will was astonished that such a thing existed.

"It's a trick I learned from a vampire." Added Nana, keeping her eye connection with Cornelia, who as still as a mannequin, her breaths shallow, and her eyes unblinking. "It is their way to subdue their victims; though the days of biting necks and draining them fully are long over. Nowadays, they make a small cut on their food's neck and drink just a little. It keeps the local population alive and from hunting the vampires."

"Vampires are a thing now?" asked Taranee with a raised eyebrow. She was willing to believe a lot of things, but even she had her limits.

"You got a cat-human-mutt sittin' before ya. Ya gonna question the existence of vampires?" retorted Nana and broke eye contact with Cornelia, who took a moment to regain her senses. She shook her head and blinked away the stinging sensation in her eyes, caused by lack of blinking.

"Are you alright Corny? What was it like to be hypnotized? Do you have a desire to cluck like a chicken?" Irma bombarded Cornelia with question after question.

"No, I do not have the desire to cluck like a chicken, where the hell would you get that idea from?" replied Cornelia and rubbed her eyes.

"Ya can't make one cluck child. Tried myself." Added Nana with a twinge of disappointment.

"So, you hung around vampires. What else did you do?" asked Will in astonishment.

"I do lots of dumb things when the day's long." Was Nana's response. Just then, Diana returned from the pantry with a platter of crackers topped with an array of toppings, including cheese, ham, peanut butter, olive paste, and pepper paste.

"Nana is an adventurer." Stated Diana and took her seat at the table. "She could tell you stories all day. However, I wouldn't give her stories too much credit. She likes to embellish some of her stories." She then leaned closer to Will and whispered, "she even told me she fought and killed a nuckelavee."

"I DID KILL A DAM NUG!" Nana pounded her fist on the table and her face scrunched in anger. "I told ya a t'ousand time I killed that damn nug' and ripped it' yellow heart out."

"I know, I know, I know; you killed a nuckelavee and its yellow blood was like acid. Where is your iron sword as proof?" Diana grinned, knowing the answer.

"I gave it to mah sister Ellie!"

"See," Diana leaned back and crossed her arms; the smile still plastered across her face. "Absolutely no proof."

The group laughed and shared their lunch. Nana kept insisting that she did, in fact, hunt and killed a nuckelavee to pay a vampire prince to give her an antidote against vampire poison. However, Diana kept insisting that one cannot be turned into a vampire but can only be born as one. The five girls had their tea, returned to school, and then returned to the Inbetween to continue their story time. Nana told of her adventures, from how she met Diana to her adventure in vampire country where she killed the nuckelavee and finished with the story of how she came across a secluded tribe where the son of the chief gifted her an obsidian necklace that allowed her to teleport. Of those three stories, Diana only accepted two as true. The five guardians laughed, cried, and held their breaths in anticipation. Whether the stories were true or not, Nana had a knack for storytelling. By the time the girls had to return home, they were exhausted. Little did they know, that as they exited the portal to the Inbetween, that someone was watching them from the bushes.

Caleb had known from Cornelia that the gang had planned to visit the Inbetween and he didn't want to risk his plan being discovered. No doubt had Will seen him, she would have asked what the item was he bought from Sophia. If she had found out about his plan, all would be ruined. He wanted Phobos gone, but Will was against the idea of killing him. Taking a breath, he rushed through the portal just as the girls left his sight. Obviously, Diana was expecting him and happily led him to Sophia's room. Nervously, he knocked on the door with the silver S.

Immediately, Sophia cracked open the door. "Come in, your order is almost done. I just need to fill it into a container for handling." With that, she opened the door wide enough for Caleb to enter; nervously, he stood by the door and produced the bag with half of his savings. He hoped this was enough. He watched Sophia pour a syrup-like concoction into a tiny, purple flask, he noticed a cut-up, blood-stained, rag on the workbench. However, he dismissed it; perhaps she or someone else had injured themselves and she simply hadn't bothered throwing it out. He was slightly caught off guard when Sophia spun around with the purple flask in one hand and the other outstretched for payment.

"I-I-I h-hope this is enough." He stammered and handed Sophia the bag heavy with coins.

"I'll be the judge of that." She stated coldly and opened the bag; with her skilled eyes she counted the coins, thought for a moment, nodded in approval, and handed Caleb the tiny purple flask. The flask appeared too small, it was hard to believe this was potent enough to do anything.

"Is this really enough? There isn't much."

"It is more than enough. That small amount is strong enough to poison three grown adults." Sophia sounded a little offended, as though questioning the product questioned her competency.

"What does it do? I mean, how will he suffer and for how long?"

"If everything goes as planned, he will suffer for about two to three months. All the while, he will feel like his heart is being garroted. It will keep him up and the pain will becrippling. After the suffering period, he will either succumb to heart failure or he might choose to end his suffering. There is no cure."

A small smile crept onto Caleb's lips and he tucked the flask into his pocket. "Now, all I have to do is sneak this into his food or drink?"

"Drink is the best way to administer the poison."

Caleb thanked Sophia and was about to head out when a thought crossed his mind, how could he sneak the poison into the castle without being noticed.

"Uhm…" he turned his attention back to Sophia. "I haven't thought of a way to get into the castle."

"Don't worry, just pay Nana to teleport you in. If she knows where she is supposed to go, she can get you there. However, she won't do it if she knows it is an assassination."


	6. Chapter 5 The Act

_**ATTENTION:**_ A friend of mine plans on opening a Discord Role Play group centered around W.I.T.C.H. We will be opening auditions for characters to be played. If you are interested in joining the group as a character from the Comic/TV Show, message, me for details for Discord and further details. IF YOU CHOOSE TO AUDITION, state the character you are auditioning for and give us an example of you portraying the character. We will be open for some OCs as well, but you must be willing to provide a basic bio of said character. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

With a nervous knot forming in his stomach, Sophia led Caleb to the kitchen where Diana and Nana were finishing their tea. "Nana, I got a job for you." Called Sophia from the kitchen threshold. Like a child being called by a teacher, Nana excused herself from Diana's side, sprang up from her seat, and hopped over to Sophia.

"What's da job?" chirped Nana with a grin, clearly seeking the attention and potential for adventure. Sophia guided her short friend out of Diana's earshot and introduced Nana to Caleb.

"Nana, this young man needs you to teleport him somewhere. Also, if it is needed, you have to subdue someone until the mission is completed and you two can get the hell out." She explained as Nana and Caleb shook hands, then she took her leave so the two could discuss their business in private. Caleb was a little put back at the size and appearance of her partner-in-crime.

"Uhm…this isn't a task for a child…" the moment the words left Caleb's lips, Nana's expression soured, and she jabbed her finger at him.

"Who t'e hell doya t'ink ya 're callin' me a child?" She said, jabbing her finger at his chest with every word; despite her accent, Caleb understood every word and held up his hands in defense.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to assume. It is just, the mission might get dangerous and I would feel horrible if someone got hurt."

"Tai'm no stranger to danger." Was her response, "What's da job?"

"Okay, I'll take you as far as I can, but there is a portion I can't reach easily. That is where I'll need you."

"Bat why do ya need to go there?" asked Nana, raising her eyebrow in suspicion.

"I need to administer this," Caleb held up the tiny purple bottle, "to someone. My friends and I are planning a heist, but the place is under protection. If I give this to the intended target, it will knock him out cold and the protective barrier is broken. Are you up to the task?"

"Itz just gonna knock 'im out?" she questioned and pointed to the bottle.

"Yes, it will knock him out for twenty-four hours. This will give my accomplices enough time to empty the vault. We know the layout of the place and the guards are no problem, but the target is the biggest hurdle."

"Kay," Nana shrugged and smiled at Caleb, "lead t'e way."

Caleb couldn't contain his smile; Lady Luck was on his side. He led Nana out of the Inbetween and to a temporary portal that led to Meridian. Stepping through the portal, they emerged in shrubbery near the castle, keeping both crouched down, Caleb pointed to a tower, near the top of which an illuminated window shone like a beacon. Caleb pointed at the window, where he knew Phobos's private study was and he heard, through the grapevine, that the tyrannical prince enjoyed a glass of wine in the evening. "See that window? I need to get in that room. The target person is said to retreat there in the evening. Do you think you can get me there?"

Nana looked and squinted her eyes for a clearer focus. "Hmmm, I see a ledge." With her temper calmed, her native accent retreated to a more understandable level. "I can getcha to t'at ledge. I don't know da insides, so I can't getcha in safely. We can tap da window and I can hypnotize da poor sop who opens."

"You can hypnotize people?" Caleb looked at Nana in astonishment.

"It's a trick I leant long ago, ready?" she asked and held out her hand for Caleb to take, her other hand clutched an apricot-sized obsidian pendant that hung from her neck. Caleb took Nana's hand with confidence. "Keep ya mind clear!"

With that warning, the two vanished in a wisp of smoke only to reappear carefully balanced on the ledge by the window. Balanced precariously, Nana let go of Caleb's hand and, carefully, peeked into the window. Quickly, she snapped her head back and whispered. "There's a Blondie reading in a chair facing away from da window."

"Is he wearing a dark cloak and headpiece?" Caleb asked in a whisper. It was important that he got Phobos and not Cedric.

Again, Nana peeked in and took a good, long, look at the person inside. "Yup and t'ey are drinkin' wine."

Excellent thought Caleb and gestured Nana to get them in. Nana took a reassuring breath, leaned forward so she could look in without being seen from the inside, and tapped the window.

On the inside, Prince Phobos was snapped out of his reading by a quiet tap, tap, tap coming from behind. He blinked and listened carefully; he had been immersed in his readings and thought, for a moment, that he had imagined it. With sharpened attention, he listened.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

There it was again. It came from the window behind him. He firmly closed his book and snapped his head around; he knew there was no way it could be a plant; the study was too high up. It could only be an intruder, but how could it be so? His study was high up and, surely, any intruder would have been spotted by the guards. Maybe it was one of the guardian girls? If it were that, he would personally take care of it. Looking at the window, he couldn't see anybody; were they toying with him? With anger growing in his chest, he got up and strode over to the window. Preparing himself to blast this intruder to ashes, he opened the window with one hand while preparing a ball of energy with the other.

With a swift motion, he opened the window and froze. He couldn't move. He couldn't blink. He couldn't think. All he could see was a pair of eyes staring into his. The surrounding world stopped existing; all that existed was the eyes. He couldn't tell the color of the eyes; he just knew they were eyes. Something in the back of the eyes flickered like there was a green flame in the very back. Was it a flame? Were there eyes staring into his? He thought there was a voice, but it was all muffled; the world outside those eyes didn't exist and any sound was far away.

"Kay kiddo, ya gotcha chance." Said Nana. From her perch on the window, she was at eye-level with the blond man. "T'is is da guy, right?"

Caleb looked over Nana's shoulder and came face-to-face with the tyrannical royal. The royal stood frozen on the stop, staring back into Nana's eyes as though that was all that mattered in life. For the first time, Caleb came close enough to touch the evil ruler; it would be so easy to stab him. Simply take the knife from his belt and slid the royal's throat; Phobos would be dead before he could call of help, dead before he hit the floor. The way the royal stood; neck completely exposed; it would be so easy. No, Sophia warned him that Nana was not one for assassinations; he had to stick with the story of subduing him.

"Yup." Was his reply. "You have the situation under control?"

"Like holdin' a sleepin' baby." Replied Nana and tilted her head to the right; as she did, Phobos followed her motion, keeping eye contact. Then, Nana tilted her head to the left and Phobos followed her motion. Reassured that everything was under control Caleb skillfully snuck past Nana and Phobos and pulled the purple bottle from his pocket. Quickly he poured the sweet syrup into the wine; making sure every, last, drop left the bottle and went into the glass. When he was sure the bottle was empty, he returned to Nana's side, who grabbed his arm and teleported them back to the shrubs. They were gone within a quickly dissipating wisp of smoke.

The moment eye-contact was broken, Phobos snapped out of his trance and blinked a few times. Why did his eyes burn and why was the window open? He looked around; for some reason, he was prepared to fight. Was he being attacked? Cautiously, he looked out the window and scanned the early night around him. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Feeling uneasy, he chose to call it an early night and closed the window. Returning to his chair, he put the book away and emptied the glass of wine in a few quick gulps. He needed rest.

However, something was off about the wine; he didn't remember it tasting sweet when he took the first sip earlier. Staring at the empty glass in confusion, his train of thought was interrupted by a sharp and icy stinging sensation in his chest.

Feeling as though cold wire was wrapped around his heart, constricting it, he clutched his chest and fell to his knees. He couldn't breathe. He thought of calling on Cedric and order the royal physician, but he couldn't form a clear sentence or raise his voice above a breathless gasp. He kneeled on the floor of a minute; shaking and panting. Had he been poisoned? His mind ran through the possibilities of who and how but kept coming to blank conclusions. The wine had been fine until the last sip and he, himself, had poured it from the bottle. The bottle was new, and the glass was clean. He tried to think of who could have done it.

The whisperers wouldn't dare, and Cedric was loyal to the death. Could it be a trick by the guardians? He crouched down and clenched his eyes shut as another wave of pain washed over his heart and echoed throughout the rest of his body. It could only be them to do this to him. His mind listed them off but didn't have to go far. His mind hung upon the image of the red-headed leader of the group. The sensation of pain in his chest ebbed a little when he pictured her in his mind. For some reason, imagining her lessened the pain. With her picture in his mind, he was able to shakily pull himself onto his feet and sat in the chair. Blinking the black spots from his vision, he knew what he must do.

He had to lure her to here.

XXXXXX

Back in the shrubs, Caleb and Nana appeared and sat on the ground for a moment. Caleb was downright giddy. "You have no idea how much you just helped."

"Da heists dat big?" Nana raised her eyebrow at Caleb.

"Huh?" then Caleb remembered the story he told her so she would help him. "Oh, yeah it is. He will be in a deep, deep sleep and the people with be much better off."

"Alright, but I wanna get paid." Said Nana and held out her hand for payment. Without thinking, Caleb reached into his pocket and pulled out the remaining change that he carried with him. It wasn't much and Nana glared at the money in her hand with disappointment, but she accepted it, nonetheless. To her, money was money. "Alright, I betta get goin'. Ya need anyt'ing; go to da Inbetween."

With that, Nana grabbed hold of her pendant and was gone, leaving Caleb sitting on the ground in his hiding stop, staring at the window with a smile. Soon, Phobos would never harm another soul.

Within the blink of an eye, Nana reappeared in the kitchen of the Inbetween. Diana had gone to bed and her tea was cold. With a reluctant sigh, he sat at the table and quietly drank her cold tea. "I otta set a propa' pay fo' my job."

XXXXX

The next morning, Will awoke from a fitful dream where she was righting a pale, vampire-like, creature with Nana while Diana was cooking tea. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she thought she should, Perhaps, take a break from the Inbetween for one day. Getting dressed, she thought about visiting Caleb and his father during the weekend. Sure, Cornelia had told her that Caleb was alright, but she wanted to make sure for herself. Caleb was like a brother to her and she did worry about him. Meridian seemed too quiet these past few days.

When she got home last evening, her mother was on a date and had left a casserole in the fridge for her; so, Will chose to take the rest of that with her for lunch. Will was happy that her mother had found love after the divorce, but she did miss those little dinners they used to have. Without her mother or anybody for that matter, Will had little appetite. It wasn't the dinner itself that she missed, it was the dinner talks she had with her mother that she did. She could talk with her friends, but to whom did she talk about her day? Talking with her friends about the day's events felt like singing at a choir and her father had his own life. Her stepmother was pregnant and so, her father had more to worry about then Will and the pet-shop. On a positive note, the alone time gave her plenty of alone time to concentrate on her homework.

Walking to school alone, Will couldn't help but feel a little lonely. Without her friends or Matt to walk with, the streets felt empty. She was a sociable being and needed someone to be around, even if they didn't talk to each other. Thankfully, when the School came into view, Will saw her friends waiting for her by the entrance. "Hey, guys, what's up?"

"We have to go to Meridian." Said Taranee with a worried expression.

"What? What is wrong?" Will was worried; she had a feeling that the peace and quiet weren't going to last, but she didn't know it would end so abruptly.

"Prince Phobos ordered an attack on a nearby village; which makes no sense. They are a peaceful and loyal village. He has so reason to attack them." Added Hay-Lyn

"Who cares why he is attacking that village, we have to go to Meridian now and do our job!" barked Cornelia, grabbed Will by the arm, and led the group to the girl's bathroom. In the bathroom, the girls made use of their Astro Drops, made a portal to Meridian, and went through. The portal closed behind them and the temporary clones went about the school day.

When the W.I.T.C.H arrived in Meridian, the village was in utter chaos. Civilian and armed guards were running around like ants after their nest had been trampled on. Market stands where overturned and some guards were kicking in doors to civilian housing. The gang had all but a minute to take in the chaos when one of the guards spotted them. Pointing the group out to one of his comrades, he shouted. "GET THE RED ONE!"

Will heard them and turned to the guards that had spotted them without realizing at another one ran up behind them. Before Will or any of the other guardians could react, the unseen soldier hits Will on the back of her head with the butt of his sword.

For Will, the lights went out.

 _ **ATTENTION:**_ A friend of mine plans on opening a Discord Role Play group centered around W.I.T.C.H. We will be opening auditions for characters to be played. If you are interested in joining the group as a character from the Comic/TV Show, message, me for details for Discord and further details. IF YOU CHOOSE TO AUDITION, state the character you are auditioning for and give us an example of you portraying the character. We will be open for some OCs as well, but you must be willing to provide a basic bio of said character. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.


	7. Chapter 6 The Remedy

ATTENTION: A friend of mine plans on opening a Discord Role Play group centered around W.I.T.C.H. We will be opening auditions for characters to be played. If you are interested in joining the group as a character from the Comic/TV Show, message, me for details for Discord and further details. IF YOU CHOOSE TO AUDITION, state the character you are auditioning for and give us an example of you portraying the character. We will be open for some OCs as well, but you must be willing to provide a basic bio of said character. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

When Will woke up she realized two things: one, that she wasn't at home, in her own bed but, instead, in a cold and dark dungeon cell; and two, that her head buzzed with pain? For a moment, she didn't remember what happened, but when she sat upright and took in her surroundings, her memories came flooding back to her. When realization hit, she scolded herself for letting herself get caught so easily. Now, there was little left to do but wait and evaluated her escape choices. She was surprised that she wasn't chained to the wall or ground, but her cell door was still locked. In addition, she had transformed back to her normal human form when she was knocked out. Just as she thought about fiddling with the bars on her cell door, maybe she was lucky enough to find one that was loose, a familiar reptile face appeared before her. It was Cedric.

"I see you are awake."

"I am and you are not getting anything out of me." Was Will's response. She knew Phobos desired the heart and information about the rebellion. What came next, surprised her.

"What poison did you use on Prince Phobos?"

For a moment, Will's mind couldn't compute the question. Prince Phobos had been poisoned and she was the main suspect. Why in the world would she be the main suspect? She hadn't been near Prince Phobos in weeks. Even if she had the chance, she would have never entertained the thought of killing him. With a furrowed brow, she returned her gaze to Cedric.

"Prince Phobos has been poisoned?"

"Yes, and he wants to know what poison you used on him. The Leigheas isn't working."

"Leigheas? What is leigheas and why do you think I poisoned him?"

"Leigheas is a cure for all type of venoms and poisons. For some reasons, it isn't working on what you gave him. Now, if you won't answer to me; I'll be forced to take you to the prince himself. Now, I'll give you one last chance to answer to me. What did you poison him with?"

Will could only shake her head. "I didn't do anything. I swear."

Cedric gave her and angered look and opened the door, making to grab her. Seeking her chance, Will ducked under Cedric's hand and dashed through the cracked door. Unfortunately, her legs weren't fast enough and Cedric managed to grab a hold of Will's shoulder; digging his nails into it. Despite Will's cloths and jacket, she felt his sharp nails scrape her skin; she knew no amount of fighting would free her now. However, despite knowing it was futile, she refused to comply without some resistance.

After several minutes of walking and moving through dim hallways, she and Cedric enter the throne room. Despite having been in there before, it still intimidated her to the point of paralysis. With a frozen back, Will didn't even notice Cedric taking a knee to address his royal, nor did she hear what he said; her eyes simply roamed over the room until they fell upon the prince himself, which was when the spell broke and Will managed to regain some control her herself. Either that, or it was because the prince ordered Cedric to leave the room so he could interrogate the guardian himself. With the human snake gone, Will was left alone with the tyrannical ruler and couldn't help but feel a singing sensation in her chest when she saw the horrible state, he was in.

It was obvious he was in pain, he kept a hand clutched against his chest. Furthermore, his skin was pale and eyes sunken and bloodshot; as though he had been up all-night crying. Though, if it was true and Phobos was poisoned, he had probably been up all-night. Without a word, the prince got to his feet and began to approach Will, who took a few steps back by instinct until her back touched the door. With a shaky voice that sounded as though there was blood on his vocal cords, the prince addressed her.

"Here I thought you guardians were above the cowards act of poisoning."

"I-I-I didn't do anything." Was her shaky reply. The closer he got, the more she could see how he suffered. It looked as though every uneasy step burned his chest and sapped his strength.

"Then it was one of your fellow guardians? Quiet frankly, I don't care which one of you five have done it. I want to know what you used." Despite the pain in his chest, his voice remained cold and steady; his eyes remained fixed on hers. He wasn't even lying to her; at this point, with five doses of leigheas in him, he didn't care which one of her friends poisoned him, he just wanted to know what was used so he could get a cure for it.

"M-My friends and I had nothing to do with this. We would never- "she didn't know what to say. Her enemy was suffering from something she had no control over. Furthermore, who would dare attempt an attack on the prince? Was it one of her rebellion friends? Was it a political rival even more bent then Phobos? Will hoped it was neither of those options and that this was a simple mistake-.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the prince put his hands on either side of Will, effectively trapping her between him and the door. This close, she saw how exhausted and in pain he was; against her better judgment, she felt pity for this man. Yes, he was horrible and cruel and desired nothing but power, but now he just looked like a sick dog begging to be put out of her misery. Still, she couldn't let this horrible man win and therefore, she kept a stern look on her face and attempted to keep a mental barrier up; she hoped that way she could stop herself from feeling any sort of pity for this man. However, no amount of mental barrier could have prepared her for what happened next.

He kissed her.

It was completely without warning and completely took her off guard. Her body froze when their lips touched, and her heart stopped in her chest. Her mind couldn't compute what was going on. Why was this happening? His kiss was demanding and firm, yet passionate and warm, which wasn't something she had expected, and she could feel her cheeks blush. Will couldn't help but think of how, if this were a movie, it would be one of the most romantic scenes. However, this was not a romantic movie and he was not a fairytale prince kissing his beloved princess. He was her enemy and was accusing her of poisoning her. Why was he kissing her?

Frozen still, Will didn't move when their lips parted, and he whispered. "What have you done with me?" his voice was bitter yet relieved, as though the small kiss relieved his pain a bit. Which it had. He hadn't planned to kiss her, yet when he was this close to her something in his chest compelled him to. The moment their lips touched, the ice-cold pins and needles that had been digging at his heart relented their assault. For a moment, he was free of pain. He wondered what this hell-poison was that made him suffer like this. Her answer was less pleasing.

"Nothing." Was her response in a fear filled and confused voice? Will did not understand what was going on. She couldn't understand why he had kissed her? And she had no idea what was used on him to make him suffer like this.

"Clearly you have. How else would I be forced to kiss you?" he said with a slight hiss in his voice. Will's response was a little less collected. After having her heart broken the other day, being hit on the back of the head, accused of planning an assassination, and having been kissed by her enemy; the last think she wanted to hear was how she was forcing him to do anything. Furthermore, the accusation that she wanted to him to kiss her made her furious. Angered, she pushed him away from her and slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing? Get it through your thick skull already. I DID NOT POISON YOU! I do not know what you were poisoned with and neither I nor my friends would stoop that low!" Snapped Will. The moment she finished her sentence, she regretted hitting him. Though she was shorter, younger, and, since she was outside of her guardian form, weaker than him; when his eyes returned to hers, she knew she had hurt him. In his weakened state, not only did his chest hurt, but his bones and joints felt as though they were made of glass. Will's simple slap felt to him as though he had just been kicked in the face by a mule. With pain coursing through his body like a wildfire he grabbed Will's neck in anger.

"How dare you strike me you little wench." He hissed and pinned her against the door by her neck. He heard and understood her answer; she was innocent in his poisoning, but he wanted this pain to be gone and he would do anything to lessen it. Looking at the girl in his hand, he wondered why the poison's effects lessened around her. If she had nothing to do with his suffering, why would he be able to breath and think clearly around her. Why did he feel compelled to be near her, to touch her, and to kiss her? Despite himself, he took a step closer to her; she had closed her eyes when he pinned her against the door in fright and the sight of her frightened expression pained him. Stepping closer to her, his grip on her neck loosened and he hung his shoulders in defeat. "Why does this have to hurt? If my assailant wants me dead, why not get it over with?"

At his, Will opened her eyes again and looked at the damaged ruler standing before her. With his head hung low and shoulders hung, Will couldn't help but compare him to a sick dog she had come across in her father's pet shop. Looking at him in that way, she could even understand why he had tried to hurt her. The dog, though harmless, would snap and fight off anyone attempting to touch it; If Phobos really was in so much pain, he probably didn't mean to hurt her. She was still confused about why he had kissed her but could write that off as 'he can't think because of the pain'. She still wasn't used to him touching her, since he usually used magic on her, but she could write that off too. Carefully, she touched his hand that held her neck; the prince kept his eyes closed but let his hand fall from her neck when she touched him.

"I have no idea how to help you." Was Will's hushed response. If the leigheas did nothing to cure him from the poison and end his suffering, then what could? She thought about the heart but feared he might attempt to take it from her if she showed it. Carefully, she reached out her hand touched the tyrannical ruler's forehead as though checking for a fever; prepared to snap her hand back the moment he tried to hurt her. Touching her enemy, she could feel him slightly tremble under her fingers. She knew this was out of the usual, but she was willing to help anyone in need and right now it was her enemy that needed help. "Are you really in that much pain?"

Prince Phobos nodded in response. "It feels like my soul is being stabbed by an ice-cold, rusting blade. I can't breathe. I can't sleep. I can't think. I just want this pain to end." His voice trembled a little as though he was standing out in the cold. He took one more step closer to her; now he stood inches from her, "Why can I breathe around you?"

That question caught Will off guard. She had no idea what he was poisoned with so why she would know why he could breathe around her; why her presence lessened his suffering? With nowhere to go, he pressed her back against the door and her hand discreetly searched for the door handle. With a shaky voice, she responded with. "I don't really know WHY I have that effect on your symptoms. Since you are not interrogating me anymore or attempting to take the heart from me, how about you let me leave?"

At her request to leave, Phobos's eyes snapped up and glared at her. With a quick motion, he grabbed hold of her wrists and kept her from escaping. "What makes you assume I would allow you to leave?"

"In that case, I am not sorry for slapping you!" responded Will and tried to struggle free from his grip. Despite his condition, he kept a firm hold of her. She wanted to kick him, but he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. This close to him, Will could feel his heart beat in his chest. It was fast and irregular as though he was struggling to subdue a wild horse and not a 14-year-old teenager. With her this close to him, Phobos could feel some of his former strength return to his body and the pain ebbed to a bearable level. Despite the earlier slap, which still stung his cheek, he bent down and kissed her again.

Will, unlike last time, did not freeze upon their lips touching; she still attempted to struggle free from his grip. Her cheeks still turned pink though; it was something she couldn't help. For a moment, she thought of biting his lips, but before she could act their lips parted and looked into her eyes. "I think I'll keep you around until I can find a cure for this pain, since it seems to react to your presence."

Putting her arms behind her back, he spun Will around and called for his right-hand-man, "Lord Cedric."

The snake lord immediately responded and entered the room with a bow. "You called my Prince?"

"Show our guest, Will, here a room for her to stay until a cure can be found. Since she will be staying with us for a while, the dungeon isn't an option for her to stay in."

"As you wish my Prince." Was the Lord's response and took Will from Phobos's hands? Again, Will tried to struggle free, but it was useless as she was half walked, half dragged to her lavish room within the castle. Once at her room, Cedric opened the door and flung her in as though they were back in the dungeon. When Will hit the stone floor, it knocked the wind out of her and she needed a minute to regain her bearings; a minute that Cedric used to close and lock the heavy wooden door.

ATTENTION: A friend of mine plans on opening a Discord Role Play group centered around W.I.T.C.H. We will be opening auditions for characters to be played. If you are interested in joining the group as a character from the Comic/TV Show, message, me for details for Discord and further details. IF YOU CHOOSE TO AUDITION, state the character you are auditioning for and give us an example of you portraying the character. We will be open for some OCs as well, but you must be willing to provide a basic bio of said character. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.


	8. Chapter 7 The Rescue

ATTENTION: A friend of mine plans on opening a Discord Role Play group centered around W.I.T.C.H. We will be opening auditions for characters to be played. If you are interested in joining the group as a character from the Comic/TV Show, message, me for details for Discord and further details. IF YOU CHOOSE TO AUDITION, state the character you are auditioning for and give us an example of you portraying the character. We will be open for some OCs as well, but you must be willing to provide a basic bio of said character. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

Back at the Silver Dragon, the four W.I.T.C.H girls sat at a table worried sick over their missing friend. When Will had been knocked out and carried away, the guards retreated, and little damage had been done to the village. Everything had gone by so fast that the girls had little time to react; one minute their friend was by their side and the village under attack, the next peace returned to the village and their friend was gone.

"We should have gone after them, who knows what they are doing with Will right now." Said Hay-Lyn full of worry.

"Hay-Lyn, they were gone too fast for us to react and now, we can't turn into our guardian form." Responded Taranee and patted her friend's shoulder in empathy.

"Will was right to be suspicious of the attack. It was a ploy to get us and we walked right into their trap." Added Irma and rested her head in her hands.

"And what if it weren't a ploy?" asked Cornelia. "What if we hadn't acted and it was a real attack on the local population?"

"Why would Phobos have that village attack if they were loyal to the royal family?" asked Taranee, clearly siding with Irma.

"We are working with a rebellion group that had minor branches all over the kingdom; for all we know, there was a gossip that the village harbored rebels and Phobos planned to crush an uprising before it could start." Concluded Cornelia and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Catching Will might have been an unexpected conclusion." Carefully, she looked at her three friends and slouched her shoulders. "Besides, we are guardians. We run the risk of being captured or killed whenever we go to do our job."

"But we can't just wait here and hope for the best. We are guardians whether in persona or not. We have to go and, at least, try to save her." At this, Taranee, Irma, and Cornelia nodded.

"Do you think we should ask your grandmother for advice?" Irma asked Hay-Lyn.

"She would say the same thing. I wish she were here right now, but she had gone to the hospital for foot operation. Right now, she wouldn't be able to help us much." Hay-Lyn hung her head and shook it in disbelieve. "I wish I knew what to do." It was then that Irma popped up from her seat as though struck by lightning.

"What about Nana?" she gasped and looked at her friend with wide eyes.

"What could Nana help us with?" asked Taranee and raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"She teleports to the Inbetween. Haven't you guys seen it?" replied Irma with a smile.

"So, we teleported there too." Countered Cornelia.

"I think Irma has a point." Responded Taranee. "We traveled to the Inbetween though a portal that leads to its' front door. Nana, however, appeared in the kitchen and she said she had a clear mind when she arrived. This could ben she teleported to the Inbetween's kitchen using her mind."

"We could go to the Inbetween and ask. What do we got to lose?" responded Hay-Lyn and got up from her seat. "It is better than sitting around here and doing nothing."

The other three agree and the four girls hurry through the busy streets of Heatherfield as is chased by wild bees until their school came into view, only then did they allow themselves a moment to catch their breath. Despite the bright daylight and warm air, the empty school ground gave the four an eerie feeling and they quietly made their way to the back of the school, hoping they wouldn't be spotted; they didn't know if being on school grounds after school was allowed. Once they were behind the school, they felt the wall for where the portal should be; all the while, they quietly prayed that it would still be there. Thankfully it was.

Rushing through the portal that leads to the Inbetween's front door, Irma was the first one through and began to frantically knock on the Victorian-style door. In less than a minute Diana opened the door and glanced at the group with a worried expression but was quickly pushed aside as the other three hurried into the building.

"Diana, where is Nana? We need her help." It was clear in Taranee's voice that something bad had happened and immediately, Diana began to suspect that it had something to do with Will and Meridian.

"Nana isn't here right now but will be in a few Inbetween-hours. Why, what is the matter and where is Will?"

"She had been captured and we need Nana's mad teleporting skills to rescue her!" added Irma, which earned her a raised eyebrow from Diana.

"Does this have anything to do with this villainous Prince Phobos you ladies have told me about?" asked Diana and tried to lead the group into the kitchen. "If you really need to discuss a rescue with Nana, you four will have to wait. In the meantime, how about I offer some tea for your agitated nerves?"

"We don't have time for tea Diana!" snapped Cornelia and refused to take her seat at the kitchen table. "We need to go save Will."

"I understand you loud and clear, but if you want Nana's help you will be forced to wait. Why do you think Nana would be able to help you?" countered Diana and poured the girls some tea; Hay-Lyn and Irma gladly helped themselves to a tea-bud.

"We noticed Nana can teleport and we hoped she could help us get into the castle's dungeon so we could get Will out." Explained Taranee and finally took her seat at the table; remembering that time in the Inbetween ran differently than outside the Inbetween.

"Well, Nana could certainly get you into the castle, but she can't teleport you anywhere she doesn't know. So, unless the dungeon is above ground and clearly visible, she can't get you in there." Explained Diana and joined the girls at the table once Cornelia took her seat.

"So, it is a waste of time to plan a rescue with Nana?" asked Cornelia

"Not at all, she will be able to help you get into the castle. However, it must be somewhere she knows or can see. She can't teleport anywhere she doesn't know the location of."

"So, if we pointed out a room in the castle or an open window, she would be able to get us in? Like a glorified burglar?" asked Irma and gently sipped her steaming cup of tea.

"Please excuse my prodding, but how did Will get captured by Prince Phobos?" asked Diana and poured herself a cup of hot water for tea.

"We were called to action when his guards attacked a village. Will was suspicious from the beginning, but we are guardians and must respond when innocent people are being attacked. Once we arrived, everything happened quickly and, before we knew it, Will had been knocked out and abducted." Explained Irma between sips.

"So, he did all this because of this heart thing?"

"He has done similar things to get the Heart of Kandrakar. There is little he wouldn't do to get it. That guy is obsessed with power." Mumbled Cornelia, finally allowing herself a cup of tea. By now, her water was lukewarm.

"Well then, alright. I don't understand why anyone would be after so much power; especially since there is no way to be the 'all powerful'. However, who am I to judge." Were Diana's response and she calmly continued drinking her tea; just as the team began to let themselves relax, Nana appeared in mid-air and gracefully landed on the center of the table? Like a professional gymnast, she smiled at the crowd around her and took a low bow.

"TADA!"

"Nana, for the thousandth time; boots on the table mean war!" Diana scolded Nana and pointed at Nana's booted feet. "Anyway, you have customers."

As though she were standing on a stage, Nana kept her feet planted while turning her upper body to face the four girls. With a big, toothy grin she smiled and waved at the girls. "How can I 'elp ya?"

"Will has been captured," explained Cornelia, "we need your help to break into the castle and get her out."

"Great, let's go!" with that, Nana jumped off the table to Diana's delight and the girls made their way out of the Inbetween and to Meridian. When Nana saw where they were going, she cheered with glee and guided the girls to the shrubbery where she and Caleb hid the previous evening. "Gals, I 'now t'e way in."

"Really? That is great, that means we can get in right away!" gasped Taranee and Irma cheered.

"We will have Will saved and be home before dinner!"

"Gals, I ain't a tour bus. Its fast'r if I go meself."

"B-B-But Will is our friend- "began Hay-Lyn, However, Nana was having none of it.

"I'm a' 'xpert. I go in, get Will, 'nd get out." Her voice remained calm and steady while her honey-colored, cat eyes remain trained on the window of the Study. Taranee followed Nana's gaze and connects the dots.

"I'll 'ave your friend out be'ore ya can say Whackfalolyrah!" Before anyone could say anything else, the cat-girl pulled out her obsidian pendant from under her shirt, held it tight, and vanished in a wisp of smoke. While Irma turned to her friends to asked what Whackfalolyrah meant, Taranee shifted her eyes from where Nana once stood to the window, where she saw their humanoid-feline friend reappeared, judiciously balanced on the tiny ledge outside the window.

Balanced on the ledge, Nana peered into the window and sighed with relief when she found the room empty. With an expert eye, she identified the type of window lock, a simple hook, and eye lock, and pulled out her lock-picking hit from her jacket pocket. She was in the room within seconds. With her heightened sense of hearing, she listened into the hallway for any movement; when she was sure the coast was clear, she left the room.

XXXXX

In her room, Will had attempted to pick the lock of her door, but abandoned that thought after an hour and went to try opening the window. The window, however, must be enchanted as not even being struck with a chair caused any cracks in the glass; the chair, however, expired. Just as she was contemplating trying with the oak desk, Will heard the faint click of her room door open. She didn't have to turn around to know it was Phobos. Without turning around, she asked. "What do you want now?"

"Why do you think I have come here?" he retorted and quietly approached her. While Will had been demolishing furniture in her attempts to escape; He had stood outside the door wondering how to approach her. He still doubted her about the poisoning, but a voice in the back of his head told him she was being honest. Still, he had to be sure. Furthermore, their kiss refused to leave his mind; for a moment he was out of pain. For a moment, he could breathe and think; he had to admit to himself how soft and warm she felt against his lip. Standing this close to her, he noted the disheveled state of her room and how anger gave her cheeks a rosy blush, "I see you have redecorated your room."

"Your stupid window won't open." Replied Will, attempting to be comedic and turned to face him with her arms crossed. "You are here because you don't believe me. You are still convinced I had something to do with your poisoning."

"Am I that transparent to you?" he jokingly asked and raised an eyebrow at her.

"You are not as clever as you think. If anything, I think you are dense." Again, he stood so close to her that she could see him slightly tremble from exhaustion and pain; despite him trying to hide and appear unaffected. She could even see a faint purple, bruise on his cheek where she had hit him. "Why am I in this room if you think I poisoned you?"

"I felt the dungeon was too harsh on a fair young lass such as yourself." He replied with a smirk and made to touch her head. Will, however, knew where this was going and let him, but not without taking another stab at his ego.

"You are not being as charming as you think you are."

"So, you think I am charming?"

"And you have selected hearing." Quipped Will and allowed him to touch the side of her face and prepared herself to let him invade her mind to read it. It started with a warm sensation that started at her cheek and moved up behind her eyes and into her head. It was a pleasant sensation that all too soon. "An what is the answer?"

"You really don't know you did this."

"Finally, you are catching on!" responded Will in exasperation, "But whoever did poison you, I would gladly shake their hand!"

The moment those words left, Will regretted saying them. She never meant them in the first place; she was against violence of any form. Before she could apologize, Phobos grabbed hold of her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze, indicating that despite being weakened he could still hurt her. Leaning closer, his ice-blue eyes stared right into her cognac eyes; despite herself, she froze, and a chill ran down Will's spine. She had never seen such cold eyes in her life. Her heart skipped a beat when he took hold of both her shoulders; it scared her that she couldn't read his next move. From their previous interactions, he was either going to shock her with magic for belittling and insulting him or kiss her.

"If you try to kiss me again, I'll slap you." She said in a loud and clear voice.

"Is that so?" was his hushed response and he moved his face closer to her. Out of instinct, Will squeezed her eyes shut. However, nothing ever happened. She didn't feel any magic run through her shoulders and zap her nor did she feel his lips against hers instead, she heard a muffled thunk, then the hands on her shoulders let go and there was a sound like a sack of flour hitting pavement. ap

"Gal, open ya peepers and let's get goin'!" Will snapped her eyes open and found Nana standing in front of her. Within a second, she realized Nana was here to rescue her and had smacked Phobos over the back of the head with a glass paperweight from the oak desk. Apparently, Will had been staring at the scene before her because next Nana snapped. "LET'S GO!"

Will snapped out of her daze and dashed after Nana, who had already made her way to the door. Daring to take one glance back, she saw Phobos propping himself up on one elbow and rubbed the back of his head as his gaze fell upon her and her escape attempt. Before he could do or say anything, Will was out of the door.

ATTENTION: A friend of mine plans on opening a Discord Role Play group centered around W.I.T.C.H. We will be opening auditions for characters to be played. If you are interested in joining the group as a character from the Comic/TV Show, message, me for details for Discord and further details. IF YOU CHOOSE TO AUDITION, state the character you are auditioning for and give us an example of you portraying the character. We will be open for some OCs as well, but you must be willing to provide a basic bio of said character. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.


	9. Chapter 8 The Escape

ATTENTION: A friend of mine plans on opening a Discord Role Play group centered around W.I.T.C.H. We will be opening auditions for characters to be played. If you are interested in joining the group as a character from the Comic/TV Show, message, me for details for Discord and further details. IF YOU CHOOSE TO AUDITION, state the character you are auditioning for and give us an example of you portraying the character. We will be open for some OCs as well, but you must be willing to provide a basic bio of said character. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

Down one hallway, take a right, up another hallway; doors and windows zoomed past Will as she was basically being pulled through the castle by Nana. Despite her tiny stature, the cat-girl was fast. "Slow down do you even know where we are going?"

"Nah, I t'ought ya did!" was Nana's panicked response.

As the two girls rounded another randomly picked corner, they came face to face with Phobos. Before either girl could react, he grabbed hold of Nana's neck and lifted her off the ground, choking her. Will could clearly see he was livid and the blatant anger in his cold eyes scared Will; however, there was no way she was going to let him hurt her friend. In a vain attempt to fight him without hurting him, she wrapped her arms around one of his arms, hoping he would release her friend.

"Let her go!" she cried and glared at him, which is when she realized his nose had bled. He had attempted to wipe the blood from his face, but faint traces remained clear for her to see. Had that hit over his head caused serious bleeding in the brain? Before she could continue wondering, his gaze shifted from Nana to Will, where his anger dampened at the tight of the worry in her eyes. He couldn't explain to himself why, but his arm and hand relaxed and gave Nana a moment to breathe. Nana didn't waste a second; the moment she could catch a breath, she kicked at her captor and hitting him right in the ribs. Phobos instinctively drops his assailant and holds his side in pain; she hadn't cracked anything, but it hurt as though his bones were made of glass. Coughing and holding her throat, Nana pulled Will away from Phobos.

"Pray t'is works!" with that, she grabbed the pendant and they were gone, appearing a few feet above the ground in the shrubs where the other four girls hid. It was clear they were becoming antsy as the moment Will and Nana appeared, the girls wrapped their arms around their recovered friend in tight hugs.

"Will we were so worried about you!" cried Hay-Lyn close to tears. "Are you alright?"

Before Will could say anything, Nana snapped her fingers to catch their attention. "We better get on outta here b'fore Blondie calls 'is guards."

The girls did not argue and the five girls took hold of Nana in one way or another; Using all her concentration, she managed to teleport them to the Inbetween's kitchen. Diana, of course, was already there and ordered them to take a seat as she made them some tea, secretively mixing some scotch with the water for their nerves. Still shaking from their escape, Will gladly took a seat and tried to calm her nerves. Of course, her friends wanted to know every detail of her capture.

"Did they hurt you?" asked Irma

"Why did they capture you?" added Taranee

"They didn't torture you, did they?" Hay-Lyn asked and clutched her friend's hand in concern.

"They captured you for the heart, didn't they? Did they try to rip it from you?" concluded Cornelia. The four asked so many questions so fast that Will didn't know where to begin or if she should tell the whole story. What would they say if she told them of the kiss between her and the prince? Will concluded that honesty was the best thing in this situation.

"I was captured because someone poisoned Prince Phobos." The room fell silent for a moment, Will noted the shocked expression on her friend's faces and continued. "He thought I might have had something to do with it. He is in a lot of pain right now."

"Great, someone almost does our job for us and they fail." Grumbled Irma and rested her head on the table as Diana brings the girls the spiked tea.

"That is not all. He was acting strange around me."

"Well, it is Prince Phobos you are talking about. When isn't he being strange?" countered Cornelia.

"I didn't mean 'try to rule existence' strange, but a different type of strange." Will could tell she wasn't making much sense to her friends and leaned in a little closer and her friends did the same. In a hushed tone, Will continued. "He…kissed me."

"At first, her friends just stared at her like deer in headlights and for a moment no one spoke; then Irma broke the silence with an uncontrolled laugh. "I CALLED IT!" Everyone just stared at Irma for a moment before she continued. "In stories like these, the villain always falls for the main heroine."

"Irma, I think you finally went off the deep end." Started Taranee and Cornelia continued.

"He is our enemy, romance should be the last thing on anyone's mind and, might I add, Will is FOURTEEN YEARS OLD! Phobos must be in his twenties at a minimum; this is super creepy!" Irma slouched her shoulders dejected, "Why did he even kiss you in the first place?" Cornelia asked Will, who couldn't answer. She didn't know why he had done that, and speculating wasn't something Will was about to do in this situation.

"Maybe that poison made him lose what little brains he had left?" suggested Taranee; to her, there had to be a fundamental reason why Phobos would act so out of character.

"You mean like a love potion?" asked Hay-Lyn.

"There is no such thing as a real love potion." Interrupted Diana as she took her seat at the table with the girls. "There is no potion that can force people to fall in love. I am no expert, but I know that much. From what I overheard, it sounds like someone tried to bond him to you, Will."

"How do you know that about potions and what do you mean bond to me?" Will's grip on her cup tightened.

"I live with Sophia and picked up a few things over the time. A bonding potion is easy to make and causes people to act irrationally. Someone probably gave him that and now he thinks he needs you. I heard some women use it to keep their husbands faithful."

"Cedric explain that the poison won't go away either."

"A poison won't go away unless an antidote is given. Give him a few hours and everything will be alright."

"That is not what I meant. He said something about an antidote not working. I think he said it was called Leigheas." At this Diana froze for a second. It was obvious that the word rang a bell in her head.

"Ya sure 'bout t'at?" asked Nana when Diana failed to do so.

"I am sure that is what they called it." Responded Will, a little unnerved by Diana's silence

"I would have to ask Sophia about that. Leigheas is a cure-all and should work on anything if administered in time and a bonding potion can be cured any time." Explain Diana and the room once again fell silent. Irma had nothing much to say, her theory of 'villain falls for the hero' scenario had been crushed, Hay-Lyn and Taranee were simply glad to have Will back, and Cornelia was biding her time until she could inform her boyfriend about the news. Will quietly drank her tea and wondered about what all had happened in the past few hours. Who would try to poison the prince; though that was a bad question since he had many enemies, who would poison him with a bonding potion if that was even what was used?

Furthermore, why would the bonding potion bond him to her? They were enemies, so any genuine romance was out of the question. Then again, he hadn't been harsh or villainous towards her while she was his captive. Sure, he had glared at her and grabbed at her, but that was when she closed the line and she knew it; any other time, he acted almost lovingly towards her. At least she thought he was since he opted to give her a room, forgave her attack on the furniture, and had responded when she told him to release Nana.

She didn't want to admit it to her friends, but the kiss was pleasant and repeated over and over in her mind like a broken record. She knew she hadn't been poisoned by that bonding potion, so why was she thinking of this? Was it because she had recently gotten her heart broken and her immature teen-spirit longed for someone's loving attention? Will was glad Taranee wasn't reading her mind now, she would die of embarrassment if her friends found out about her thoughts. Thankfully, Cornelia called the visit to the Inbetween short and the reunited gang took their leave. Not much was said after the girls left the Inbetween; Cornelia immediately excused herself from the group and left to meet up with her boyfriend, Hay-Lyn needed to pick up her grandmother from the hospital, Taranee needed to finish her school work, so no it was only Irma and Will. Irma had volunteered to accompany Will home after such a strange day.

"So, the kiss was a real thing?" the water witch asked.

"I did not imagine it. I slapped him right after, but he still tried again. He even put me in a room instead of the dungeon."

"Wow, you sure he doesn't have the hots for you?"

Will nodded her head. "Yup, it was so strange. He said he could breath when he is near me."

"I wonder what he means by that."

"Well, he did get poisoned and since then, he has been suffering from great pain. He looked so sickly, is it wrong to say I feel worried?" Will shot her friend a worried look, afraid that she would laugh or chastise her.

"You are the main guardian and have to keep things in balance. I would be surprised if you didn't feel worried. Besides, I still want to ship it." At this Will looked at her friend in utter shock.

"Do you even know what you are talking about?"

"Yup, I am only looking for the best possible outcome." Irma continued to carry her carefree smile and glanced at her friend. "You deserve a strong, handsome guy who could give you the world if you asked for it."

"One, that is something a mom would say. Two, we are still talking about a tyrannical prince here. What makes you think I would want to date that?"

"Your cheeks are blushing!" Irma pointed out and Will quickly tried to cover them with her hands.

"I'm blushing because of how awkward this conversation is."

"Yeah right. I might be a comical idiot sometimes, but I can tell when my friend tries to hide something from me. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Irma, you are not an idiot, but some of the things you say are really strange and out of place. Besides, even IF he wasn't a tyrannical madman, he is older then I am. A lot older." Will tried to point out, but Irma just shrugged her shoulders.

"Then you two would have to wait until you could date, but it would be no big problem."

"You really want this to become a fairytale story." Muttered Will and dropped the subject. She knew Irma only meant well, and often she wondered if her friend only pretended to be a goof. As they walked, the came across the bookstore that Eric owned and waved at the shopkeeper. Will thought he was an odd man, but liked his shop, nonetheless. Despite the return of a casual wave, Will thought Eric shot her an angry glare. Maybe Will had imagined it; after all, it has been a long day and all Will wanted to do was get home, take a shower, have something to eat, and go to bed. Even if he had glared at her, it was close to dusk and he was probably angry that two young girls were still out this late during the school week.

Soon, the girls were at Will's place and Irma wished her friend a good night before heading home. Inside, Will noticed her mother was in the middle of hanging a large floor to ceiling mirror in the living room.

"Oh Will, glad to see you came home. Look what Dean bought me from an antique store." Susan gestured to the mirror. Will looked at it and had to admit, it was a very pretty mirror. Its frame was a dark-bloodwood with delicate swirls and vines to decorate the reflective glass.

"It is wonderful, mom. I thought you were on a date?" Will was a little surprised to see her mom home since she had seen food in the fridge earlier.

"I will be on my way in a few minutes, I just couldn't wait to hang this mirror. I hope Dean didn't spend too much, but it is a wonderful mirror." Susan couldn't stop cueing over the mirror like a teenager who just got a love letter from her crush. It wasn't until Will heading to her room and Susan noticed her daughters tired and disheveled appearance.

"Will, how was your day?"

"My day was alright," replied Will quickly thinking on her feet. "I studied for school, got my work done, and helped Hay-Lyn pick out a color for her room, so I am a little tired. I completely forgot about the ice-cream though. I am sorry. "

"That is alright Will, I will pick something on my way back. Are you sure it is alright if I left?"

"Please go and have the fun mom, I will be alright. Though I might already be asleep when you get back." Will replied with a smile and headed to her room. She meant it when she wanted her mother to go. After the divorce, Susan had put many things aside to be there for Will, which she knew. Now, Will thought, was Susan's turn to enjoy life. Besides, with what is going on in Meridian, Will wanted her mother distracted as much as possible. In her room, Will sat at her desk and began to do her homework; the Astrodrops could do a lot, but she preferred to do the actual work herself, otherwise, she felt like she was cheating.

Unannounced to Will, Cedric had followed Will and Irma to Will's place. He knew the moment he saw her that she had escaped. He did not know why his prince was suddenly infatuated with the girl beyond the matter of the heart, but he did not question it. The prince had his reasons and if this girl could lighten his suffering, then the prince would have this girl. Still, he couldn't just run out and grab the girl, so he chose to shadow her until he knew where she lived. Once her companion was gone and Will was in her house, Cedric approached the door and quickly marked it with an invisible symbol that would allow Phobos to find her.

ATTENTION: A friend of mine plans on opening a Discord Role Play group centered around W.I.T.C.H. We will be opening auditions for characters to be played. If you are interested in joining the group as a character from the Comic/TV Show, message, me for details for Discord and further details. IF YOU CHOOSE TO AUDITION, state the character you are auditioning for and give us an example of you portraying the character. We will be open for some OCs as well, but you must be willing to provide a basic bio of said character. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.


	10. Chapter 9 The Proposal

ATTENTION: A friend of mine plans on opening a Discord Role Play group centered around W.I.T.C.H. We will be opening auditions for characters to be played. If you are interested in joining the group as a character from the Comic/TV Show, message, me for details for Discord and further details. IF YOU CHOOSE TO AUDITION, state the character you are auditioning for and give us an example of you portraying the character. We will be open for some OCs as well, but you must be willing to provide a basic bio of said character. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

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After closing shop, Cedric returned to the castle via the portal behind the bookshelf; excited to tell his master about finding the girl and where she lived. Surely, the prince would reward him greatly for finding her, however, his optimism fell when he found the prince in the study being attended to by the royal physician. The left side of the prince's torso was covered in a deep-purple bruise the size of a melon and the bruise on his cheek had darkened as well. It was clear that, in this weakened state, the prince bled very easily. It was worrisome.

"My prince, are you alright?"

"The prince is bruised, but nothing is broke, he will be alright if he allows himself to rest." Replied the doctor in Phobos's stead. With a wave of the prince's hand, the doctor excused himself and left the two men alone.

"She escaped with the help of a friend who could teleport." Muttered Phobos, still in pain and exhausted.

"I figured this much," stared Cedric and cleared his throat, "However, I hope your highness will be pleased to know that I found the girl's private home." As expected, the prince's eyes snapped open and his full attention was on Cedric. Phobos didn't even have to ask how he found out or where she lived. "She lives on Earth in a city called Heatherfield. I marked her front door with a rianachd incantation so you could find her and see about paying her a visit in a place she won't run away from too quickly.

"Great work Lord Cedric, but how am I go get to Earth? I can't create portals to Earth."

"I took care of that as well, my prince. Would you like to leave for her dwelling now, or after you have rested?" Cedric knew the answer before the prince even muttered a single word. The prince hadn't slept in almost 24 hours and had been in pain for just as long; the sooner that girl was in his possession the better for everyone involved. With a casual gesture, Cedric waved towards the mirror in the study and suggested, "Before you leave, how about you look and make sure I tracked down the right girl."

"Excellent idea, Lord Cedric." As quick as he could, given the bruises, Prince Phobos walked to the mirror and murmured the proper counter piece to the rianachd incantation, allowing him to see Will's home. With a gesture of the hand, the image changed to the inside of the rowhouse to the lounge room. There, he saw Will sitting on the sofa reading from a History book. Then and there, he made up his mind to go to her and propose. He had questioned this a few times, but the marriage was the easiest way to keep her near him without unsightly rumors growing within the kingdom. "Alright Cedric, show me the portal to Earth."

Traveling to Earth wasn't much of an issue, the portal led to a dimmed bookshop and from there, Cedric guided Phobos through the dark and empty streets of Heatherfield; here and there, a car would drive by, but everything seemed to ignore the two oddly dressed men. Soon, they were before the house with the rianachd incantation glowing a faint purple on the front door. "Want me to wait out here?"

"No need Lord Cedric, I can hold my own." Responded Phobos and made to move towards the door. With an 'I'll take your word for it' nod, Lord Cedric took his leave. Standing before the door, Phobos used a little of his magic to investigate the lodging, he knew if he simply waltzed in, she would probably throw something at him. In his state, he wouldn't survive that. Patiently, he watched as Will walked through the house; she had taken a bath and was wrapped in a bathrobe and a towel on her head and was going to the kitchen for a glass of water. Carefully, he chose his point of entry; that is when his gaze fell onto the large living room mirror. It was large enough to count as a temporary doorway and that way, Will couldn't slam a door in his face. Concentrating through the pain, he knocked on the door and inside, Will heard a tapping sound from the mirror.

Caught off guard, Will almost dropped her glass. Did she just hear a tapping sound coming from the mirror? It couldn't be possible, could it? Cautiously, she approached the mirror; it looked like an ordinary pretty mirror; that is until its reflective glass rippled like water and her reflection began to change. Emerging from the silver surface was the prince himself. Will dropped her glass in shock and gasped when his eyes opened and fell on her.

How did he find her?

Shocked and scared, Will froze in place as Phobos stepped from the mirror into the living room. Before she could utter a single word, he grabbed hold of her shoulder and pulled her closer, never breaking eye-contact. Finally, Will found her voice, but instead of creaming 'bloody murder', she snapped at him. "How the hell did you find me?"

"Wilhelmina Vandom, marry me."

"How the hell do you know my name- "it was then when his proposal registered in her mind and she stared at him in disbelief. "What did you just say?"

"I asked you to marry me." He repeated, too exhausted from the pain, lack of sleep, and effort to use magic to fancy-up his proposal.

"What makes you think I would do that?" she couldn't believe her ears and tried to struggle free from his grip, but he clung to her desperately.

"Wilhelmina, I am in pain." This made Will stop and stare at him. He wasn't much of a person to admit any weaknesses, so hearing him blatantly admit his suffering was new. "I can't go on without you. Please, I would do anything if you married me."

"Why marriage?" she asked and noted the weight of his hand on her shoulder, clearly, he was about to collapse any second, so she quickly guided him onto the sofa; he did not argue with her and let her lead him around.

"It is the only thing I can think of to keep you near me. I know you hate me, but I am begging at this point. The leigheas isn't working, I can barely breathe with this pain, I just want to die at this point." He closed his eyes as a wave of agony rolled over his chest and he took a moment to catch his breath from the sensation of pins and needles jabbing at his heart. "I will give you anything you wish if you married me. If you wish for the moon, I will move heaven and earth so you can have it. If you wish, I'll give up my throne and power. I- "Will didn't let him continue, full of pity, he put her arms around his shoulder and hugged him. It wasn't a loving hug, but one that meant 'you can stop now'. She knew he meant what he said, she could read the pain and exhaustion on his face and, this close, she could feel him tremble as hard as he is tall. She knew she did not love him, but he wasn't her enemy anymore either.

"Phobos, I am too young- "

"I know you are 14 years old. However, in my culture that isn't much of an issue. My mother was 12 when she married my father." He interrupted before she could continue with the 'age excuse'.

"Okay, one: that isn't helping your case as I still find it creepy; and two: I can't just up and leave my friends and family behind to marry someone a barely know." Will could feel his shoulders drop in defeat and it made her heartache. She might as well be poisoned with a similar potion given the way she pitied him and wanted to help him. Still, she couldn't just elope with him; she needed time to think and talk with her friends. "Tell you what, give me 24 hours to think things through and I'll give you my honest answer"

At this, he lifted his head and met her eyes, his forehead resting against hers. "Are you being honest with me?"

"Yup, as honest as one can be. I just really need to tell my friends and my mother. If I agree to marry you, I can't just disappear without telling them where I'll be going." She attempted to smile at him, which earned her a tired grin form the prince. For a moment, they simply sat on the sofa like this; neither one saying a single word. The longer she held him, she could feel the trembling diminish and his frantic breathing calm. Before this awkward silence could grow any further, Will gently pushed him away from her so she could look him in the face. "You are tired, aren't you?"

He simply closed his eyes and nodded in response and an idea popped into Will's mind. Now, it was the best way to test his intentions; she made up her mind and decided to let him sleep in her bed with her. Yes, it was absolutely insane, and a past Will would have smacked her over the head; her friends would kill her if they found out, but it felt like the most efficient way to test this man. Furthermore, she knew he wouldn't leave her alone, so sending him away wouldn't do anything; if anything, he would ignore that request. With a reluctant sigh, she got up and led him to her room like a mother would lead her sleepy child to bed. In her room, she ordered him to lay down on her bed. As expected, he gave her a questioning look, but Will remained firm with her request. When he didn't move, he places one hand on her hip and pointed to the bed with the other. "I said go to bed."

Without a word, he did as she said and laid down on the bed; though he did lay down on top of the covers; Will simply rolled her eyes, 'you win some you lose some.' Grabbing her pajamas, Will told him she would be back in a few minutes and hurried to the bathroom to change; true to her word, she returned within 10 minutes. She found him still on top of the covers, laying on his side and eyes still open. It was when she approached the bed and made to crawl under the blanket when she second-guessed her attempt to test this tyrannical prince. In a hushed voice, she wished him a good night and turned off the lights, thought sleep did not come quickly to either one of them.

Laying in awkward silence the two stared at each other. It became clear to Will that sharing a bed with anyone was as alien to him as it was to her. Quickly, the silence became unbearable and she had to say something, anything, even if it was a dumb question. "Why are you on top of the covers, aren't you cold?"

"We aren't married yet and no, I am not cold." He whispered back, "Why did you want this?" he meant them sharing a bed.

"You are tired but can't be far from me. I can tell you aren't thinking clearly, so I thought this might help."

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

"I am afraid of many things but, right now, I can't be afraid of you after you admitted how much you are suffering. I know you might not believe it, but I don't want to see you suffer. I don't want anyone to suffer. If I had things my way, I would have you healed from your pain and suggest ways you could rule the kingdom, so everyone benefits." She meant what she said. Irma's words had rung around her head all evening and she wondered what Phobos would agree to right now.

"Wouldn't you prefer to see my sister on the throne?" at this point he had his eyes closed, clearly becoming more comfortable with someone resting next to him.

"That is a complicated subject that I don't quite know what to think of. Everything says she should be Queen, but she seems to happy hear with her normal life and normal friends." Will's eyes had adjusted to the dark and she kept her eyes trained on the half-asleep prince beside her. Will meant what she said; she saw how happy Elyon was going to school and hanging out with her friends, taking that away from her felt cruel, even if a better life waited for her in Meridian. "We can discuss this more in the morning. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Wilhelmina."

"Call me Will" she replied with a smile, and he managed a half-smile in his sleepy state and muttered something about calling her that way from now on. Closing her own eyes, Will was glad her mother stopped checking in on her at night. The thought Susan checking in on her sleeping daughter to find a strange man next to her would have been impossible to explain away. Will was on the verge of sleep when she felt Phobos put an arm around her in his sleep. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at him, but he was vast asleep. An earthquake could have gone off and he would not have budged. She knew she could feel terrified, but she couldn't bring herself to; right now, he was more harmless than milk. She hated to admit it, but Will felt comfortable and, dare she say it, safe with him next to her. Closing her eyes again, she became warm and was asleep soon.

Morning came all too soon, and Will awoke to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing. For a moment, she thought the events of the previous night had been a simple dream; that is until her mind registered that someone's arm was around her middle. Surprised, Will looked over her shoulder to find a sleeping prince beside her; he hadn't moved an inch since falling asleep. Sleep like this, with his breathing slow and regular, his lips slightly parted, and the arm around her waist like a child holding a teddy bear, Will couldn't help but blush a bit and admit that he was handsome. Furthermore, to her delight, the deep-purple bruise on his cheek where she had hit him had vanished. Clearly, near her, his body repaired itself as it normally would. It wasn't until she moved to get up that the prince opened his eyes a bit.

"Where are you going?" his voice sounded dry with sleep.

"I don't know how things go in Meridian, but I have to go to school where I'll meet my friends. I can't just skip class because my teacher is dating my mother." She walked to her dresser to pick out some clothes for the day; Phobos made no movement to get up. "Do you think you will be alright for a while?"

"I hope so." He muttered, still half-asleep.

"Tell you what." She sat on the bed and smiled at him with the most enthusiastic smile she could manage, "There is a gazebo in Heatherfield Park and school lets out at 3:00 in the evening. I want you to meet me there at 4:30 and I will give you my answer. He agreed with his eyes closed, and she gave him a half-hug before heading for school to inform her friends of the trouble she was in.


	11. Chapter 10 The Plan

On her walk to school, the previous night's evens kept repeating themselves in Will's mind like a broken record; she almost did not want to believe what had happened. If she hadn't woken up with him beside her, she would have thought everything was just a dream. Furthermore, she wondered if he meant what he told her. Would he really give up his throne for her or was the poison talking? She could ask him this evening when they met at the park since he had a decent night's sleep. She wondered if she should accept his proposal, but how would her friends react to it? Thinking about it over and over again, it began to make her head hurt; her life had turned from slightly abnormal to completely bonkers in less than a week. As if nature sensed her discomfort, the clear-blue sky began to darken with clouds and a fidget wind picked up

As the school came into view, her mood sank further when she saw Matt waiting at the entrance to the school. At least he looked slightly dejected. Planning to walk past him, she was caught off guard when he grabbed her arm to catch her attention.

"Hey, Will can we talk?"

"What do you want to talk about?" Will stopped and raised an eyebrow at her ex.

"Listen, I am really sorry for breaking up. I know I haven't shown it, but I felt like crap ever since we broke up and I wanted to see if we could start over." At this, Will saw red. First, he broke her heart over nothing, then he ignored her, and now, with another guy gunning for her affection, he wanted her back! Who the hell did he think he was? Will's heart raced with anger and her cheeks flushed a bright red that put her hair to shame.

"You broke my heart and now you want me back? What the hell do you think you are doing? My heart is not a fucking yo-yo!" she yanked her arm free and made to walk into the school. However, Matt raced past her and blocked her access to the doors.

"Will, it was never my intentions to hurt you. I am serious, I miss you and feel awful for the way I treated you."

"Well then you should have come with that sooner, 'cause now it is too late!" she tried to move him out of the way, but Matt stayed stubborn.

"What do you mean too late?"

"I found a better guy!" with an aggressive push, she moved past him; Matt was too stunned to keep blocking the door. As a final punch at Matt's hopes to get back together with her, Will looked over her shoulder at her ex, "He is man enough to honestly tell me how he feels and would do anything to make me happy, unlike you."

Will knew she had gone a little too far, but she felt vindicated at the same time. Even if she never found another guy, she could officially put Matt in the past. However, the feeling of victory was briefly lived until she met her friends by the lockers. Now, the sensation of victory was replaced by the sharp pain of anxiety. Holding her own arms and head hung low, she joined the circle of conversation; she could tell by the snippets she caught that it was about the prince in her bed.

"What if he is being honest?" asked Irma only to get shot down by Cornelia

"He is a manipulative prick who would sell you the Brooklyn Bridge before there was a Brooklyn if it meant he could become more powerful. He is probably trying to win Will's heart with charm so she would give him the heart- "Cornelia stopped when she noticed Will had joined the group. She noted Will's glum expression; like a child wanting to confess breaking something priceless. "Will, what is the matter, why do you look so down?"

"Guys, I have some more bad news." Of course, all the attention was on her now. At first, she wondered if she should tell them everything, but she knew better. If she did not tell her friends the whole truth, one would find out something and Will did not need a misunderstanding in this hurricane of a mess. "Prince Phobos found my house- "

"WHAT ARE YOU SERIOUS?" screeched Taranee and grabbed her friend's shoulders, "Are you alright, is your mother safe? Did he threaten violence?"

"Did he try to take the heart from you?" Hay-Lyn chimed in.

"My family and I are alright, and he did not threaten me with violence or try to take the heart. He did something else though- "

"He professed his love to you!" Irma stated, clapping her hands and bouncing in place like an excited child. Will was beginning to get annoyed with the constant interruptions. Furthermore, Matt had snuck up behind Will and listened in on the group. When he heard Irma's cries of joy, he pulled Will from the group and spun her to face him.

"Are you serious Will. Prince Phobos- "before he could finish his sentence Will pusher his hands off of her and shot him an angry glare.

"You are the one who broke up with me, so you have no say in this conversation."

"Yeah, Will is right. The ship has sailed, and you better win some land under your feet!" Called Irma over Will's shoulder and, as if that did the trick, Matt stormed off in a cloud of anger. Taking a deep breath to settle her emotions, Will returned to face her friends.

"Irma is right you guys, but he did more than that. He proposed to me- "as if on cue, Irma hugged her with glee. Almost crushing the air out of Will's lungs

"I knew it! I knew it!" Irma then let go and stared at her friend with stars in her eyes. "So, what did you say? Where is the ring? When it the wedding? Was it a romantic proposal with roses and everything? Does your mother know or are you planning to elope in secret?" thankfully, before Will could say a word, Cornelia pulled Irma off her and violently tried to shake some sense into her.

"Irma has gone completely insane? There is no way Will can marry that guy. This is the worst thing that could have happened! He knows where Will lives now, we have to inform the council so they can help us kick his ass- "now, it was Will's turn to interrupt her friends.

"GUYS STOP IT!" again, all attention was on Will, "There is no need to get the council involved just yet. He hasn't tried to take the heart from me, nor has he threatened me or my family. He did propose and made all sorts of promises, but I told him I would have to think about it. I told him I would give my answer this evening at the gazebo in the park at 4:30 - "

"That does sound romantic." Interjected Hay-Lyn, which earned her a displeased look from Cornelia as if Irma's thinking was a virus that has spread.

"I wasn't going for that, but I don't know what to do. I can't say 'yes' I don't feel that way towards him and I can't live with a man I don't love. At the same time, I can't reject him."

"Why not?" asked Taranee while Irma and Hay-Lyn whispered to each other and Cornelia glared at them.

"He hurts so easily while under the effects of the poison. I slapped him when he kissed me, and it turned into a large, purple bruise. What if rejecting him causes a heart attack? I could never live with myself if he died because of that."

"If he dies, it isn't your fault. If anything, it would do everyone a favor if he died now." Hissed Cornelia when she overhead Irma and Hay-Lyn discussing potential children and how they might become aunts in the near future. Will only shook her head at Cornelia.

"Corny, that is not my view on anything. Can't we just find a way, so everyone is happy?" at this Cornelia's jaw dropped and she looked at Taranee in hopes to find an ally.

"Taranee, say something. We have already lost those two to a fantasy." Gesturing to Irma and Hay-Lyn. Taranee sheepishly smiles at Cornelia and shrugs.

"I am Sweden in this conversation."

In an angry huff, Cornelia storms off. The group did not try to stop her; they knew better than to run after her when she was this angry. Taranee gave her friend a half-hearted hug, unable to imagine the inner turmoil Will was suffering from. Irma and Hay-Lyn kept discussing the matter of weddings, and future children. Though Hay-Lyn was on the offense, Irma easily won her over when imagining a future nephew or niece with Will's dark eyes and Phobos's long blond hair. Still unsure of what to do, Will walked to class and tried her best to pay attention.

Cornelia did more than just storm off in a fit of rage. Deciding to skip class, she went to find her boyfriend in Meridian, which wasn't difficult for her. Once she sees him in the rebel base, her eyes burst up with tears and she rushed to him, flinging her arms around him.

"C-Cornelia, what is the matter?" gently, he pulls her to a quiet corner of the cave system and tries to console her.

"Things have gotten worse," she starts, tears falling uncontrollably from her pretty blue eyes. "Phobos has found Will's home and he has proposed marriage to her."

"WHAT?" Caleb couldn't believe his ears and his heart sank to his stomach. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Will just told me this."

"What else, she can't possibly intend to marry that monster?"

"She doesn't know what to do and Irma has got Hay-Lyn convinced it is a great idea that Will marries him. She plans to meet him after school at the gazebo in Heatherfield Park." With a trembling hand, she wipes the tears from her eyes. "What should we do? We can't let her marry that guy!"

Staring at Cornelia in disbelief, a desperate idea came to his mind. Clearly, the poison had backfired and there was no way he would return to Sophia for more. Whatever she had given him, it did more harm than good. Part of him wanted to chop Sophia's head off; yes, it had caused suffering onto the evil prince, Cornelia had told him that much on their last visit, but it has also put Will in danger. The thought of the women he loved marrying that monster made his blood boil, but there was no way he could confront the prince on his own.

"How weak is he?"

"Weak enough that the slap Will have him bruised his face, why?"

"I am forming an idea. Does anyone else know of this situation?"

"Matt overheard our conversation. Why do you want to know all this?" With a plan fully formed in his head, he confidently put his hands-on Cornelia's shoulders and smiled at her, which helped ease her tears.

"Cornelia, I can't tell you now, but I have an idea that could fix everything. I don't want you to get into trouble and it is better to keep Will out of this as well. Please don't question this, the less you know the safer you are. However, I need you to keep Will occupied as long as possible. When is she supposed to meet him exactly?"

"I think she said 4:30 after school. - "Caleb's smile grew even more.

"Cornelia, I need you to keep Will occupied as long as possible. I promise you that everything will be fixed." He then gave her a reassuring hug and a light kiss on the forehead. "Now, you better get back to school. Again, make sure Will is occupied until after 4:30." Cornelia shakily agreed, gave him a light kiss and returned through a temporary portal to school. However, before the portal closed, Caleb jumped through it quietly so Cornelia wouldn't notice. Thankfully, she never looked over the shoulder when going through portals.

Caleb knew the way to school and had a vague idea of the class schedules of the girls and their friends. Remaining hidden in the shrubs near the school, he scanned the student's in the courtyard, he needed an accomplice. Sure enough, he found Matt; he was skipping class to sit outside, he sat on the ground beside the entry stares with his head buried in his arms and shoulders trembling. To catch the crying teen's attention, Caleb chucked a small pebbled at him; it hits Matt's foot. Matt, wiping tears from his eyes, looked around to find who had thrown a stone at him; he quickly spotted Caleb in the shrubs. Looking to make sure no teacher would spot him, Matt hurried over to the shrubs and ducked out of sight.

"Caleb, thank god you are here. Will- "

"I know." Caleb interrupted, "Cornelia told me, and I have a plan." He cleared his throat and held Matt's shoulders so the young teen would look him in the eyes. "However, I need your help."

"I would do anything for Will." Replied Matt in a shaky voice.

"Great! Now, Cornelia told me when and where Will is going to meet Phobos, so we have to be there before he does. Once he shows up, we ambush him."

"Ambush him, are you crazy?" Matt shook his head in fear. "He is a powerful alien prince; how can we ambush him and with what?"

"Cornelia told me he is weak from a poisoning. It was an attempt on his life that backfired. Apparently, he bruises easily, which means he bleeds easily." Caleb's grip on Matt's shoulders tightens. "He is going to meet Will at the gazebo in Heatherfield Park at 4:30 after school. Now, I know that place; there are juniper bushes all around the gazebo. When he shows up, I will come out of hiding and distract him. When his back is turned towards you, I need you to stab him in the back with this." He pulls a sparing dagger from his belt and presented it to Matt. Matt shrank back a bit at the sight of the weapon.

"You want me to stab him, are you crazy?" his voice shook at the thought of killing someone.

"I will do the rest, but I can't do this on my own. If you stab him in the back, it will give me an opening to go for his heart and end this for everyone involved. It will be quick, and no one would ever know. If we don't act now, Will would be forced to marry him." This caught Matt's attention. "Please Matt, think of Will. We can't let her marry him." With a shaky and racing heart, Matt took the small blade from Caleb's hand; he could see his scared reflection in the weapon's polished metal.

"Alright, I'm in."


	12. Chapter 11 The Knife

Author's Note: At 11:08 pm my time this story reached 1,000 views, you guys I feel like a minor celebrity. I never had a story outside of porn to get so many views. I am so thankful I don't even know what to say. I am literally crying as I write this author's note. Thank you so much!

Also, I am serious about the auditions.

Sitting in class, Will could barely concentrate on her lessons. The earlier conversation with her friends wouldn't leave her mind. She could understand Cornelia's blatant displeasure of the whole scenario and even Taranee's unwillingness to discuss it; however, Irma and Hay-Lyn are a different story. Irma won Hay-Lyn over and ever since this morning, they have been whispering to each other and passing Will notes asking the most absurd questions.

How many children do you plan on having? -Hay-Lyn.

Will looked at it and shook her head; replying with something ridiculous:

100 – Will

Irma too asked a ridiculous question:

What would you call your child if it were a girl? – Irma

IDK, Maybe Victoria? – Will

Sitting in History with Mr. Collins Will simply stared at the clock slowly ticking away until she had to meet Phobos; she still had no idea what to answer. Could she go with 'maybe'? Staring at the clock she inwardly groaned; it was only lunchtime. Should she go to the Inbetween and ask Diana or Sophia for advice? They seemed so much more mature than her friends, plus they were unbiased in this mess. Still uneasy, Will got up when the lunch bell rang and was surprised to find Cornelia waiting for her outside the classroom door.

"Will, I am sorry for snapping at you, can we talk?" usually Will would agree right away, but she could tell by the glare in Cornelia's cornflower-blue eyes, that she was still in a fit.

"Umm, I wanted to go to the Inbetween and them for advice, I promise to be back right away" the last thing Will needed was more unhelpful arguing. "You can come along, Hay-Lyn, Irma, and Taranee are coming along too."

It was then that Taranee approach the two, having overheard part of the conversation. "Will, I think it is best if you have a discussion at the Inbetween on your own without our input. This is your choice to make and it is clear none of us are making this easy on you."

Will silently agree, shouldered her backpack, and headed towards the exist; she didn't need to turn back to clearly hear Taranee and Cornelia arguing. Rolling her eyes, she made her way to the back of the school where the portal was. As though it were a mundane action, Will waltzed through the section of the wall where the portal was; soon she stood before the Victorian door and as soon as she knocked, Diana opened the door with a wide smile. "Wilhelmina, it is so great you are here. There is someone I want you to meet!"

Will gratefully allowed Diana to lead her to the kitchen; despite having visited a few times, she didn't feel she would find her own way around the Inbetween. She didn't know what to expect when she came to the kitchen, but it would have never been what she found. Sitting at the kitchen table was a cloaked, hooded figure hunched over the table as if in mourning.

"K.C. this is Wilhelmina, the guardian I told you about." Said Diana and Will stood at the threshold agasp; this was K.C. the creator of the Inbetween. Will did not know when the figure stood up and approached her, but there she stood, no, hovered over the ground in front of her. Will couldn't take her eyes off the figure in front of her. Stating with the face: it was smooth and white like porcelain; finely carved and with an unearthly moon-like glow to it. The face seemed to hang in nothingness with a thin neck and tufts of short brown hair around it to fill in the emptiness of the hood. Will couldn't decide if the figure was man or women, or if it was shorter or taller; one moment, it was at eye-level, the next it was taller. It didn't seem to have a solid form, or it did and couldn't decide if to remain solid or vapor. The strangest part was the eyes: a bright glowing magenta with swirls of silver, like finely gilded gemstones. Furthermore, the black abyss in their center kept their focus on Will like the eyes of a doll; no matter what angle you look at them, they stare back at you.

"A pleasure to meet you, Will Vandom." Its' voice was a hushed whisper with a slight rustle like dead leaves on stone. Its' breath was sickly sweet, like decaying fruit and the smell of damp earth clung to it. Everything about this thing screamed death and decay and whimsy.

"The pleasure is all mine." Will's voice was barely above a whisper, it felt wrong to speak any louder; the same way it felt wrong to yell in a graveyard. She didn't know how it knew her name, it just did; was it always part of her life? It felt as though Will had known it for years. The thing with a women's face smiled kindly at her, showing a row of perfect white teeth but without any sight of gums, and whispered.

"I know why you are here. You better return to your school and prepare your heart for misery." With that, the thing was gone. Will blinked and shook her head; had that really just happened?

"What did K.C. say to you?" asked Diana with a concerned expression on her face.

"I-I am not sure, but I should get back to school," Will muttered under her breath, her mind reeling from the encounter. Did this really just happen? What just happened? "I came here for advice, but I think I found them."

"Great, are you sure you don't want some tea or something to eat?"

"I am sure." Muttered Will and Diana just shrugged, many had this reaction around K.C.; she herself, once reacted that way but she has seen K.C. often enough that its' presence stopped bothering her. Within seconds, Will was back behind the school; she chose to have her meal outside and away from her friends despite the dreary weather. She couldn't approach her friends like this; it felt like her mind was apart from her body and her movements were robotic. All too soon, lunch was over; only two more classes until she had to tell Phobos her decision.

Will still hadn't made up her mind. She sat in Biology and tried to take notes from the movie projected onto the whiteboard. She loved Biology and would normally be unable to take her attention off the lesson, but today it brought her no joy. She felt like a prisoner being led to a choice between the noose and the guillotine. Last class was a seminar where the students could work ahead on their homework or school projects; Will shared that class with her friends and they crowded her.

"What is your decision?" Taranee asked in a hushed whisper. Will only shook her head in response.

"Do you want us to come with you? You know, for back-up." Added Hay-Lyn and, again, Will only shook her head.

"Will, you need our help, you do not have to go through this on your own." Was Cornelia's response.

"Please, this is something I have to face on my own. Besides, I don't want him to panic in his weak and confused state. Things might escalate with too many of us around. He won't hurt me so I will be alright." Then the group fell silent again.

The closer the clock came to ring the end of school the more antsy Will became but so did Cornelia as she tried to wrack her brain on ways to stall Will. Finally, just three minutes before school let out, Cornelia wrapped her arms around her stomach, squeezed her eyes shut, and let out a painful whimper. This caught her friend's attention and they circled her; of the four girls, it was Will to gently place her hands-on Cornelia's shoulders. "Are you alright Corny?"

"I-I don't think lunch fully agreed with me…" she whimpered. "I think I need to get to the nurse station."

Before any of the girls could offer, Will helped Cornelia to her feet and began to guide her out the classroom.

"Will, don't you have a meeting after school?" Irma interjected, but Will only shook her head.

"This will only take a minute."

Little did Will know how much difference those few minutes could make because, as Will was leading her friend to the nurse Phobos was on his way to the park. The streets were nearly empty as the sky darkened and the wind picked up. Despite the empty streets, Phobos had put in a little effort to disguise is appearance; he was not wearing a black sweater, tan pants, black shoes, and his hair tied back. It was an easy illusion spell that didn't require a lot of effort; he was still weak from the poison. He was grateful that Will had shared a bed with him, despite the initial awkwardness. Even when she left for school, it took a great while for the pain to return; at least he caught up on sleep.

He still couldn't believe he had proposed to her; why had he done that? Awake and slightly clear-minded, he wondered if it was a good idea. Sure, it would keep her close by his side and it would keep the rumors at bay, but it would make neither of them happy. However, he couldn't think of a better alternative and as the gazebo came into view, he hoped Will had a better plan for them.

XXXXX

Waiting in the bushes around the gazebo were Caleb and Matt; waiting patiently for the prince to arrive. When Phobos came into view, Caleb nudged Matt in the side and whispered. "There he is."

Matt looked in the direction Caleb was staring and furrowed his brow in confusion; he did not remember Phobos looking like that. "Are you sure; he looks like a normal guy."

"I am sure," was Caleb's reply, "I recognize those eyes anywhere."

The two boys held their breath as the prince climbed the three steps of the gazebo before Caleb gestured Matt to carefully crawl to the other side of the wooden structure. Using the blade of his knife as a mirror, he saw the prince facing away; this was his chance. Without making a sound, Caleb came out of the juniper bushes and climbed the three steps; when he reached the top landing, he hid the dagger behind his back and cleared his throat to catch the prince's attention. As if expecting his end, Phobos turned around and glared at the rebel standing before him.

"What do you want here?"

"There is no way I will let you force Will into an unhappy marriage." Was Caleb's response. At this, Phobos only smirked; there was no way he was going to let his low-life figure out why he had proposed to Will. It didn't matter how he found out, he just didn't want this rebel boy to find out why.

"Is that so, and how are you going to stop me?" he was ready to throw a ball of energy at the rebel, which would have easily killed this would be assassin.

"I won't let you get out of this park alive." That was the signal. Matt had reached the other end of the gazebo and used the blade of his sparing dagger to observe the ongoing above him. As quietly as he could, making sure not to snag on any of the twigs, Matt crawled out of the bushes, jumped over the low railing, and rammed the dagger into Phobos's back before the prince could even react.

The moment the cold metal pierced his back, Phobos gasped and cried out in agony; the pain pulled the breath out of his lungs and halted any thought running through his mind. Out of instinct, he attempted to reach behind his back to try pulling the blade from between his ribs. That was the opening Caleb had waited for; within the blink of an eye, Caleb pulled the dagger from behind his back and rammed it into the prince's chest. He knew he had missed the heart, but the damage was done.

Phobos's mouth dropped open in shock and pain; his body froze in surprise. His hands stopped reaching for the knife in his back and enclosed the knife in his chest; his mind couldn't comprehend what had happened. Matt saw what Caleb had done and it was then that it registered in his mind; he had just aided in an assassination. His hand clenched down on the dagger and his arm instinctively pulled away, pulled the blade from the prince's back. Immediately, deep red blood poured from the back wound; however, Phobos wasn't going down.

Realizing that this wasn't enough, Caleb twisted the blade and yanked the blade from Phobos's chest; cutting his fingers in the process. It was then when the red liquid began to pour from his chest that Phobos sank to his knees; the illusion spell broke and his Meridian appearance fully on display. As Phobos fell to his knees, the blood ran down his front and back, staining his dark smoke colored tunic; in the back of his throat, Phobos could taste blood and he knew this was the end, this is where he would die. However, for Caleb, this wasn't going fast enough; clenching his teeth, he grabbed Phobos by the back of the head, pulled his head back to fully expose his neck, and pressed the blood-stained blade against it.

"Thus, ends tyranny." and with that, Caleb slid the sharp blade across the prince's neck. Blood spilled from Phobos's neck like water from an open Fossett; the prince immediately forgot about his chest wound and clamped his cut fingers against his neck, but it was no use. The blood ran down his front, staining what little the chest wound didn't; blood also poured from his mouth, staining his beard a deep strawberry red. Phobos tried to take a breath, but it got caught in his damaged throat and he only ended up coughing up more blood. When Caleb released the prince's head, he went limp and collapsed in a growing pool of red.

Knowing Will would arrive any minute, Caleb turned to a frozen Matt and shoved him into movement. Matt almost stumbled over his own feet as Caleb shoved him down the back steps of the gazebo, away from the path leading to it and towards the tree-line just a few feet away from the gazebo and lake. When they were just past the tree-line and out of sight, Matt's knees give way and collapsed onto the forest floor and threw up; his hands shook, and he couldn't stop crying. Matt had never seen someone die. He had never seen so much blood.

"I killed someone…" he blubbered between sobbed breaths.

"You helped me kill a monster. We are heroes." Replied Caleb but saw how much it had affected the young teen. Matt couldn't stop staring at his hands, still clutching the bloody knife. Thinking fast, Caleb yanked the knife from Matt's shaking hands and chucked it into the nearby lake; one last thing to worry about.


	13. Chapter 12 The Inbetween

School let out at 3:00 pm, but Will stayed with Cornelia at the nurse's station until one of Cornelia's parents could come and pick her up. Cornelia lay on the bed in the nurse's station holding her stomach and keeping her eyes covered, pretending to be violently ill. Will had taken the small trashcan from the door and held it in case her friend threw-up. She had completely forgotten about her meeting at the park until she heard the clock above the nurse's door chime half-past. Will's blood froze, it would take her 45 minutes to get from the school to the park. Panicked, Will shot up from her seat and made an attempt to dash for the door, but Cornelia grabbed Will's hand. "Please don't go."

"Sorry Corny, but I really gotta go." Will tried to pull her hand free, but Cornelia only tightened her grip.

"Please stay with me. I am scared and my stomach hurts." Cornelia pleaded, but Will only tried to wrench her hand free.

"Cornelia please, I have to go, and I still don't know what to say to Phobos." But Will couldn't get her hand free.

"So, you are putting your enemy over your friend?"

"He isn't my enemy anymore; please Corny, don't make it any harder on me than it already is." It was then that Cornelia's father walked in and helped his daughter to her feet. Cornelia, of course, let go of Will's hand when her father entered the room. Will took that moment to dash out the door before Cornelia could hold her up any longer. With her backpack on her shoulder, Will walked out of the schoolyard with her thoughts and emotions running wild. Why had Cornelia acted so funny? Was she purposefully trying to make her late? It didn't matter at this point, Will would still make it to her destination if a little late; she hopped Phobos wouldn't mind.

Still, there is enough time, so Will chose to walk from the school to the park with a sinking feeling in her stomach. However, the closer she got to the park, the more sinking feeling in her stomach grew; it had to be nervous jitters. At 4:30, the gates to the park came into view and an icy chill ran down Will's back; something was terribly wrong. From where she stood, Will couldn't see the gazebo, but she knew she had to get there and fast. Breaking into a dead sprint, Will dashed in the direction of the gazebo. The wind picked up and scattered drops of rain fell from the sky as if nature knew what was wrong. Why was she panicking like this? It had to be more than nervous jitters; something is terribly wrong, she could feel it. Within two minutes, she reached the gazebo and froze; She didn't see Phobos, but, from where she stood, she saw a dark bundle on the floor of the gazebo. Will's blood ran cold.

She knew the moment she saw the bundle on the floor what it was. Her mind couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. With shaking knees, Will climbed the three steps of the gazebo; her breath caught in her throat when her suspicions came true. Immediately, her eyes teared up and her heart sank to her stomach; she gasped and fell to her knees beside him, unable to think. With shaking hands, she reached out and touched him; when her hands felt the warmth, they frantically grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him onto his back; he groaned from the pain in his back. Will stifled a desperate sob and gently cradled him in her lap; getting soaked by his blood in the process. Unable to control her thoughts, her breathing, or the tears falling from her eyes, Will could do little but gasp his name in the hopes it wasn't too late.

The prince weakly opened his blue eyes and looked up at Will; he knew he wouldn't make this, and he regretted sending Cedric away, but he also regretted that Will had to find him like this. With his blurry vision, he could tell how upset she was, and it bothered him; why did he have to die with her so upset? Why did it bother him that she was upset? With bloodstained teeth, he attempted to smile at her; as he did, more blood poured from the corner of his mouth. Through moments of clearer vision, he couldn't help but think how much prettier she was smiling than crying. He wanted to say something, but the breath for it caught in his throat and he caught up more blood.

"What happened?" she sobbed and her grip on him tightened as his holding him close enough would prevent him from dying. "Who…who did this?" she tried to wipe some of the blood from his face with her free hand, but that too did nothing. The world outside the gazebo stopped existing; somewhere in the distance she heard a light splashing sound, but Will did not care. With her hands slippery with blood, went to hold the wound on his chest; his heartbeat was slow and shallow. A man was dying in her arms and there was nothing Will could do. "Please don't die!"

Suddenly, as though a light-switch was flipped, the light around them dimmed. It was so sudden that Will had to look up and blink the tears from her eyes. Right in front of them, was a void; there was a black hole in front of them that didn't just inhale light but repelled it at the same time. The inky darkness seemed unearthly and cold despite being on the other side of the gazebo; however, Will knew this thing was no threat. Then, the darkness rippled like obsidian water and from its' depth, emerged Diana pale in the face. Will couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. Did her friend just create a portal to the gazebo to save them in the nick of time? "Will, grab his legs and follow me!"

Diana's command at first didn't register in Will's mind; Will simply knelt there, staring up at Diana, who was rushing over to them. When Diana reached them, she made to touch Phobos, but Will only tightened her grip on him; some inner part of her was afraid that Diana was going to take him away from her. However, against Will's expectations, Diana gently touched Phobos's neck, right below his jaw, and checked for a pulse; her brows were furred with concentration. Then, Diana nodded her head and made to take the prince from Will's lap, but Will hesitated. "Will, we have to take him to the Inbetween."

That is when something in Will's mind clicked and she let Diana transfer Phobos's upper body into her arms and Will took hold of his legs; working together, the two picked him up from the floor and carried him through the black portal to the Inbetween. Within seconds, the two were in the entry hall of the Inbetween and within three steps, they were standing in, what appeared to be, an old-fashioned operating room. Once Phobos lay on a metal operating table, Diana turned to her blood-covered friend and pointed to the door. "Get out."

"Huh?" Will couldn't understand that command.

"You are going into shock. Go out that door and wait in the hallway until I come and get you."

Numb, Will did as she was told, but her movements weren't organic; her body moved as though she were a puppet being led around with string. Will didn't even remember stepping out into the hallway, but when she did, she saw her reflection in a hallway mirror and broke down crying. She could not help it; her eyes ran wild with tears and her sobs shook her whole body. No one was supposed to get hurt. Within a matter of minutes, everything was ruined; her hopes to resolve everything: the poisoning, the tyranny, the abysmal conditions of Meridian, everything could have been fixed but not now. That is when fear crept into her chest; what if Phobos died right now? The thought was paralyzing, she did not want to think about it. Her body shook with sobs and fear; she told herself she didn't love him and that she would worry about react this way to anyone she found covered in blood. However, part of her that was a dirty lie. When she blushed that morning at him, a part fell for him. It was a small part that she could have completely ignored, but she couldn't do that now. It was that tiny part of her that was sobbing. Will didn't even notice when Sophia walked past her with a jar of salve; all Will knew at that time, was mourning.

At some point, Will ran out of tears and she was left shaking and trying to control her breathing. Her chest felt hollow; she felt gutted of all emotions. Will did not know how much time had passed; it could be minutes, or it could be hours, but she did not care. Will did not even budge when the door beside her opened and Diana stepped out; her hands were covered in blood and her face neutral. "Wilhelmina, you need a drink and a bath."

"Is he going to make it?" her voice sounded hollow and flat; there were no emotions left inside her.

"That doesn't matter right now, come with me to the kitchen and I'll make you a drink. You look like you need a scotch." Said Diana, bent down and helped Will to her feet. Will did not fight it. Within seconds, Will was seated at the kitchen table with a glass of scotch in her hand. Diana poured herself a glass as well and joined Will at the table; Will only stared at the glass in her bloodied hands. "Drink it before the ice melts."

"How did you know…" Will let the question hang in the air, but Diana knew what she meant.

"Remember my friend K.C.?" Will only nodded her head. "It came back and told me what would happen and where. I did not believe her at first, but K.C. was never wrong before about things like that." Will took note and told herself to thank K.C. next time she saw it.

"Is he…"

"I have patched up soldiers that stepped on mines when I still lived in my village. I have seen worse injuries, but he lost about 30% of his blood out there. He might make it, he might not. I stitched him up and used a salve from Sophia that helps heal wounds, but we won't know until he wakes up." She then took a sip of her drink. "I recommend you take your drink and I'll help you take a bath."

"I can take a bath on my own…"

"You went into shock. Right now, I don't trust you to lay in a bed on your own." Will did not argue that point. With shaking hands, Will sipped her glass; the liquor burned as it ran down her throat. She knew it was wrong to drink at her age, but she savored the warmth it gave her; for a long moment, the two girls just sat there in silence, drinking scotch.

When her glass was empty, Diana helped Will back up on her shaking knees and began to guide her through the Inbetween. Will did not pay attention to where Diana was leading her, she let this brown-haired girl lead through this strange place. As expected, it only took a few steps to get anywhere. Will did not pay attention to where she was going or how; she just found herself in a large bathroom with a claw footed, cast iron, bathtub. Will sat on a small foot-stool as Diana ran her a hot bath with lavender bubble-bath. Without a word, Diana helped Will out of her blood-stained clothes and into the into the water. Will did not say anything, nor did she fight it. It didn't feel weird either, it felt like a mother or a nurse was helping her take a bath. For the first time in, what felt like hours, Will felt warm and save.

With her read leaned back and her eyes closed, Will let Diana gently wash the dried blood from her face with a sponge. As she let the hot water warm her, a thought came to Will's mind. "How do you know so much about helping people?"

"In my village, if you are an upstanding woman you have three choices of where to work. You either work on a farm, in a factory, or you are a nurse. My mother was a nurse, so my sister and I were going to be nurses one day. My village lay on a relief trail, so we got a lot of wounded and dying soldiers. The moment my sister and I were old enough to walk, we were old enough to help mom and grandmother. A lot of soldiers died, but we managed to save a good amount with what we had. Mind you, those boys died with half of their body torn off." Diana's voice was low and steady, almost like reading a bedtime story.

"So, the enemy bombed your house?" Will couldn't think of what she was saying, she just wanted to know as much about Diana as she could."

"One day, it was during the summer, the enemy dropped three air-ships full of air-mines on my village. I wasn't home but walking through town to get supplies. I don't remember much about that day, I remember waking up laying on top of, what use to be, Town Hall with my back bleeding. I did not know it was bleeding at the time, all I knew was to run home to my family. They were all dead. My twin, my mother, and my grandmother; all gone. I buried them, patched up my back, and went about my day." Diana's voice never faltered; it was as though Diana was used to telling her backstory to near strangers.

"Is that how you ended up here?"

"No, I spent some time on the streets, did things I did not want, met Nana, then I met K.C., and that is how I got here. K.C. took a liking to me and offered this place for me to stay. That is how I ended up here."

"How did you get over the death of your family?"

"You don't get over it. A loss like that stays with you for the rest of your life. You mourn over that loss until the day you die. But you don't need to be worried about it. There is nothing wrong with it."

"Then how do I live with it?" Will was trying to prepare her heart for loss, she did not think Phobos could survive.

"It comes in a wave. Some days you feel fine and other days you feel like your world is falling apart. It is like depression had a little brother. Your mind will always think of what could be or what you could have done. You shouldn't dwell on those things; they are fine to dream about, but you can't hang on those things." That is when Diana smiled at her Will, "I know what you are trying to do, Will, but you shouldn't think this way right now. He isn't dead yet, so let's cross that hurdle when it comes."

Will could live with that and simply let the hot water soak into her skin.


	14. Chapter 13 The Talk

After a long bath and another scotch, Will found herself dressed in one of Diana's spare outfits; a simple white blouse with black pants. At this point, the scotch had gotten to her head and the warm water had amplified the effects of the liquor; somehow, she thought it was a good idea to visit the prince. She genuinely worried about him and worried that he might pass away at any moment. Standing outside the bathroom; Will wondered which direction to go and she mentally scolded herself for not paying better attention. However, it was then that she remembered something Diana had told her: "If you know where you want to go, you will get there…" and Will wondered if it worked with people too. With her eyes closed, she pictured the prince in her mind; his cold-blue eyes and made her tremble on the inside; his smile that revealed his sharp corner teeth that looked like they could pierce skin; his long white hair that she thought was ridiculous but would be fun to fiddle with. With her eyes still closed, she gathered all her remaining courage and took a firm step forward. When she opened her eyes, she stood in front of a door she had never seen before; it certainly wasn't the operating room from earlier. Should she knock, she wondered? With all her courage spent, Will gently tapped on the door; for a moment, she didn't think it was loud enough to be heard, but from inside she heard a "Come in."

It was Sophia and when Will entered, she found Sophia gathering a few pink-stained cloths in a wash basin. It was clear that she had been cleaning the blood from his face and hair. Phobos lay comatose on the bed with bandages wrapped around his neck, chest, and hands. He looked so pale, they hollowed-sunken eyes, if it weren't for the movement of his chest Will would have thought he had passed. Sophia had caught Will's obvious staring and simply continued gathering the supplies. "Don't worry, if he survives the night he will fine."

"What if he doesn't"

"Aren't we being optimistic today." She responded with a smirk and held the basin at her hip.

"You and Diana cured him?" Will could hardly string a sentence together, but she wondered what Sophia and Diana had done with him.

"Uhmm, Diana and I patched your friend up and stopped the bleeding."

"He isn't my friend," Will responded and took a seat on the edge of the bed beside him and gently placed her hand on his chest; his heartbeat was weak and slow, but steady.

"Oh, then who is he?" Now, Sophia was curious as she usually did not help strangers for free.

"His name is Prince Phobos Escanor of Meridian; he is my enemy that proposed to me." For a moment, no one spoke a word; it was clear then, even to Will's blurred mind, that this sounded absolutely insane. When it was clear neither one would speak, Sophia broke the silence.

"So, that is this prince guy you told everyone about? The one who, you thought, sent me as a spy after you?" Will only nodded her head and closed her eyes; when did the world get this crazy?

"Yes, he was poisoned by someone and now he is suffering unless I am near him. He proposed marriage to me last night, but I didn't know what to say, so I told him to meet me at the park where I would give him my answer. I found him…" her voice trailed off and tears returned to her eyes. "Who would do this?"

"I don't know about the stabbing, but I know who poisoned him." Sophia's quiet response cause the tears to stop and Will simply stared up at Sophia; something told her she would need a hand to hold, so she gently held his bandaged hand. Her own began to shake with dread.

"Who poisoned him and how do you know this?" Wills' voice was cold and steady.

"The other day, one of your guy friends came by and asked for a poison." Will remained quiet, there had to be more to the story. "Well, I asked him what he wanted because that is how I do business. He ordered a poison that would immediately take effect, cause immense suffering, be uncurable, and would last about three months before it killed him. He paid and I gave him what he ordered." Will did not need Sophia to explain the details of how the poison was made nor did she need to know the full list of ingredients. She remembered when that Kiwi bird scratched her and how Sophia had taken care of it.

"So, you used my bloodied rag to make the poison?" it was clear that anger was brewing in Will's voice, but Sophia did not care.

"Well, when he asked for those specific features, it narrowed the pool of options and left me with five poisons to choose from. It is my business to give people what they asked for, so I chose the safest option. I did not intend for Izzy to hurt you, but when he did, I took what was offered. I had originally thought about taking a sample from your blond friend. Since he is your enemy, I went with your sample because you would have kept your distance from him. If everything had worked out, he would be in his castle dying from the stress of the poison's effects. I did not think you would get a soft spot for him."

It was then that Will snapped. With her cheeks flushed red, she shot up from the bed and bared her teeth at this poison maker. "How dare you-"

"How dare I what? Do my job?"

"You had no right-"

"Yes, I did. I was asked to make a poison and I made it. He is your enemy, so his suffering should mean little to you."

"That is not true-" Sophia's flat tone of voice had completely taken the wind out of Will's sails. Sophia was right; all she had done was do a job. However, that wasn't enough for Will, she needed someone to blame for this.

"Oh, so you don't hate your enemy? That is very strange. Normally when someone is your enemy, you hate them and wish them dead."

"I never wished him dead. I never asked for any of this." Defeated, she sat back down on the bed and let tears of frustrations fall from her eyes. Neither woman spoke; Sophia had nothing to apologize for and Will searched her head for someone to blame. In a tired voice, Will simply asked: "Who asked you to make that poison?"

"I never asked for his name, but he said he was your friend. He is a little taller than you with brown hair and a dirty leather jacket." That description truly rang a bell and Will felt as though a bomb had gone off next to her. Again, Will felt gutted; how could someone she so dearly trusts, betray everything she believed in. Sure, Caleb was angry at Phobos, but this was more than inhumane. Will didn't even have a word for it.

Sensing her presence wasn't needed anymore, Sophia took her leave from the room, leaving Will alone with the comatose prince. Unsure of what to do, Will went to the other side of the bed and laid down beside Phobos. Taking a deep breath, Will turned her head to look at him; this close to him, she could see spots Sophia had missed to clean. There were small splotches of strawberry mixed into his beard and hair; the scent of salty copper clung to his breath. As if sensing her presence, Phobos tilted his head towards her. Staring at him, Will couldn't help but think about the past few days and how those were the most civil days she ever had around him. Laying there, she wondered why she hated him; what about this man was so vial that it warranted her hatred? Furthermore, why did a part of her, even the tiniest part of her, love him? All she knew about him was that he had a pretty face, that he desired power, wouldn't hesitate to hurt family to obtain power, had a short temper, he was terrifying when angry, and that a bomb could go off and he wouldn't wake from a deep sleep. What would possess any part of her to love this guy? Perhaps she should get to know him when he wakes up; at the very least, she had to find out his favorite color.

Another question that came to her mind was, why did he even consider marriage? Surely, it would be easier to keep her prisoner; it would be less awkward for everyone involved. Was it the poison that made him think marriage was a good idea? The tiny part that enjoyed his company was crushed that he didn't actually mean the proposal. Even if they did get married, how would that work? She wasn't just an underage girl in High School with divorced parents, she was a guardian meant to protect worlds from him. Would she have to quit being a guardian? Would she even be allowed to marry him, or would a marriage be arranged for her? In which world would they live? The longer Will allowed her tipsy mind to wonder the stranger the questions got. Would divorce be an option? How many kids would they have? Did he even want kids? Did she want kids? How would they get along when left alone? Would they end up like an old married couple at the park that knew what the other was thinking without saying a word, or would it always remain this awkward? Back to the thought of kids; how would they go about having them? When would be a good time to have kids? Since he is royalty, would the people expect them to have kids right after marriage? She just had her first kiss less than five months ago, how can anyone expect her to have kids with a guy she barely knew? Would they be allowed to wait with having kids?

As these thoughts ran through her mind in a tipsy haze, her eyes wandered over his wounds and she felt the sharp pain of guilt. Carefully and gently, she placed her hand on his chest; it was only after reassuring herself that his heart was still beating that she realized, he wasn't wearing a shirt. Lying beside her was a half-naked, bandaged, unconscious, tyrannical prince from another world. The guilt was forgotten, and her cheeks flushed a bright red. Again, the questions ran through her mind and she felt a bit like panicking; she had never been this close to a half-naked man of any kind. Laying beside him, panicking, a voice began to creep into her mind, but that voice wasn't hers. With a hand on his chest, Will froze when she realized it was his voice she was hearing in her mind.

"Usually a royal family is expected to produce an heir within the first year of marriage, but we can wait if you want." Her eyes shot up from his chest and landed right on his slightly open, blue eyes.

"You are awake?" her voice caught in her throat and her cheeks were red enough to make her hair look pale.

"Your thoughts woke me." Answered his voice in her head, he attempted to physically speak, but could barely manage to open his mouth. "I taste blood and I hurt. What happened?"

"Y-You were attacked at the gazebo in the park. I found you in a pool of your own blood."

"Oh, I think I remember now. Where am I?"

"You are at a friend's place. They helped patch you up the best they could. You should focus on getting better now that you are awake." That is when she realized what had woken him and she looked at him with a questioning look, "How could you hear my thoughts?"

"Look where your hand is." It took a moment for Will to realize she still had her hand on his chest. Embarrassed, she pulled her hand away and hugged herself.

"Sorry for waking you." She attempted to smile at him to sweeten the apology. However, to her surprise, he had the look of disappointment in his eyes and he attempted to say something, but his throat did not allow it. Hesitantly, Will put her hand back on his chest where the voice returned to her head.

"Unless we are touching, I can't speak to you." He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, at least as deep as the bandages allowed. "To answer some of your questions, I thought marriage was an easier way to be near you without having unsightly rumors start." Part of Will felt crushed about the reasoning behind the proposal; that lasted all but a minute until the voice piped up again. "You are upset why I proposed?"

At this point, Will did not know if she was embarrassed or upset, but she pulled her hand away from him and sat up in bed. "You are in no position to judge my emotions right now."

She waited for a bit before remembering that he couldn't speak, so without looking at him, she took hold of his hand to hear what he had to say.

"You are right, I am in no position to judge right now. I was attacked, nearly died, and woke up in a strange place completely disabled and in pain. I am just trying to make sense of this situation." This, she could understand and relaxed a bit.

"All you need to worry about now is getting better. You are safe and you don't have to worry about time. In this place, time doesn't matter." With that, she lay back down beside him; still holding his hand. "Anything else you want to say?"

With a weak smile, he replied, "Why were you thinking of having kids with me?"

With burning cheeks, Will bit the inside of her lip, "I told my friends about the proposal and Irma immediately jumped to the subject of kids. She even asked me how many kids we planned on having."

"What was your response?"

"I jokingly replied with 100."

"There is no way either one of us would survive that." She could hear the voice chuckle; at least someone was having fun over her embarrassment. "Besides, even if we ever decided to have kids; I would suggest we wait until you are mature."

"What is that suppose to mean?" she knew he was going to tease her; she could tell by the sound of his voice.

"I know your guardian form is much older than you actually are. She is also much more attractive than your younger self." At this point, Will felt like punching him, but at least he was laughing and gently squeezed her hand the best he could with the bandages.

"What makes you think I would ever consider having kids with you?" she could still hear his chuckle in her head.

"You are the one to think of this awkward scenario, not me."


	15. Chapter 14 The Argument

Will's eyes snapped open when she heard a soft knocking on the door; she quickly realized both had fallen asleep. Holding his hand, Will was surprised she couldn't hear his dreams; since he could sense her emotions. Will dismissed that thought when she heard Diana on the other side of the door, "Will, your friends are here. Should I let them in?"

"I'll be out in just a second." Will gently called to disturb the sleeping prince as little as possible; luckily, he did not budge when she let go of him and got off the bed. She reached the door with three long strides and opened it just a crack; of course, Irma stood right behind Diana as if trying to pass through her to get into the room. Will hoped her hair wasn't making it too obvious that she had been in bed with him. With a meek smile, she greeted her antsy friends; she wasn't even sure how her friends found out to go to the Inbetween. "Hey guys, how about we talk in the hallway."

Luckily, her friends did not argue that and let Will get out of the room without letting her friends see too much of the bandaged prince. To Will's surprise, Cornelia was with them; apparently, she had felt better after her father gave her some over-the-counter stomach medicine. The moment the door closed behind her, her friends went on a tangent. Talking over each other and asking question after question. It was clear within the first few seconds that they had followed her to the park but had stayed a distance behind and had only walked to the gazebo when they thought she and Phobos had enough time to discuss the proposal. When they had seen the blood, they freaked out and Cornelia cried 'bloody murder' accusing Phobos of having murdered her and that she knew this would happen. Thankfully, of the four emotional girls, Taranee was the most level headed and suggested to go to the Inbetween to get Nana; she had theorized that, after something went wrong, that Phobos would have taken her back to Meridian. Unlike Cornelia, Hay-Lyn, and Irma, Taranee had listened to Will and figured the prince wouldn't risk needlessly endangering his only, working, painkiller and, if he had taken her back to Meridian, they would need Nana's teleporting ability to rescue her. Luckily, Diana managed to explain that the blood in the gazebo belonged to Phobos and that Will was perfectly safe.

Ensured that she was alright, Irma went back into fan-girl-mode and asked if Will would help Diana and Sophia take care of the prince while he was recovering; it was clear that Diana hadn't told them how bad the damages were. "Listen, I will stay and help as best I can, but there isn't much to do right now. Diana and Sophia know what they are doing; I would probably just screw things up right now."

"You can't be serious!" Cornelia wasn't happy with the idea of Will helping Phobos recover. This hit a raw nerve inside Will.

"Why shouldn't I help him? He was ambushed and nearly died!" Will snapped back at her friend. "I never saw so much blood pouring from a person. What Caleb did, was just cruel."

Will practically spat out the last sentence and three out of four mouths dropped open; Cornelia went pale, which Will deduced to be a sign of knowing something. Will had theorized that Caleb not only had his hands in the poisoning but the ambush as well and Cornelia's reaction felt like a confirmation. Narrowing her eyes at her friend and clenching her fists, Will confronted Cornelia in front of everyone. "Did you know about this?"

"N-No"

"Don't you dare lie to me." She hissed and pointed at the door behind her, "Someone nearly died in that park. Furthermore, Sophia informed me that it was Caleb who asked for the poison. Lastly, it is awfully convenient that you got a stomach ache the day I go to meet with him." Will could see Cornelia squirm with discomfort; she had her cornered like a cat would corner a mouse. "Of everyone who knew, it was us five who knew the place and time. You told Caleb about the meeting." It wasn't a question.

"Caleb would never do what you are accusing him of." Replied Cornelia and crossed her arms in defense, Taranee gestured Diana, Irma, and Hay-Lyn to stand behind her; this was going to be a nasty fight between friends. "Besides, even IF he did this; we should be thanking him that he tried to rid existence of that menace!"

Will finally snapped, with her cheeks bright with anger and disgust, she shouted at her friend. "ARE YOU MAD? THIS IS NOT WHAT WE DO. WE DON'T LET OUR FRIENDS KILL PEOPLE. EVEN IF THEY ARE MONSTERS, PHOBOS WASN'T GOING TO HURT ME! I WAS TRYING TO FIX EVERYTHING THE PEACEFUL WAY. THERE IS NOTHING IN THE JOB OF A GUARDIAN THAT GIVES YOU OR ANY OF YOUR FRIEND THE RIGHT TO KILL." Her voice was getting hoarse and her face was turning a strawberry red. Taranee feared Will might have an aneurysm. Unfortunately, Cornelia wasn't budging on her opinion.

"Are you even listening to what you are saying?" her voice shrill with growing anger and disgust at the person standing before her. "You are just acting like a complete ditz over that monster because Matt dumped you. Are that desperate for affection that you are willing to marry a threat to everyone and everything we love?"

"Get out of my sight." Will hissed between clenched teeth; this time, Cornelia had gone too far, and she hated the very sight of her.

"What?"

"I said get out of my sight. I never want to see you or Caleb ever again. If I ever catch sight of you, or your boyfriend tried to get near me, or Phobos I will see to it that neither one of you ever sees the light of day."

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"DON'T YOU GET IT YOU DAFFY CUNT?" everyone around Will shrank back a bit, even Cornelia this time. "I never want to see the two of you ever again."

Cornelia gasped and couldn't find her voice for a second; then her cheeks turned red and her fists clenched. If this had happened in the school hallway, there would have been a fight; thankfully, they were in the Inbetween. However, there was another way Cornelia could get at Will. "I will tell the council about this and then you can kiss your position as leader of the guardian's goodbye. Taranee, Irma, Hay-Lyn come with me. Let's leave this traitor to be with her monster husband."

When the three girls froze, Cornelia shot them a glare that could kill, "I said, let's go."

"Cornelia, we can't part on terms like this. Maybe we should hear Will out; if it means settling things peacefully- "Taranee tried to settle the heated tempers, but Cornelia did not let her.

"Don't tell me you are siding with that bitch" she pointed a finger at Will, who fell silent but continued to glare at Cornelia.

"I am not siding with anybody here. Listen, I don't like Phobos either, but if Will thinks it is worth a try, then I am willing to let her try. She had been chosen to be the leader for a reason."

"Clearly that was a mistake."

Taranee simply rolled her eyes at that; clearly, there was no way to calm Cornelia's heated temper. In a way, she could understand; the prince had caused a lot of harm and nearly killed them on multiple occasions. If this had happened to anyone else, Taranee wouldn't hesitate to let the man die, but she knew Will and knew she would try anything to save as many people as possible, even if they did not deserve it. Clearly, Will was a good choice for leader. However, Taranee knew Cornelia would stay true to her word of going to the council and Will might need someone to defend her actions. She gave Will an apologetic look and stepped to stand beside Cornelia; thankfully, Will did not shoot Taranee any death-glares.

"What about you two?" Cornelia snapped at Irma and Hay-Lyn; the two girls instinctively shrink back a bit and hold each other like frightened children. The two girls exchanged before Irma took control of the situation. Quietly she whispered to her friend to go with them, since Will could use the extra help in front of the council and that she would follow after them soon. Hay-Lyn hesitantly agreed and stood with Taranee next to Cornelia. "And what about you?"

"I will follow after you guys in a few minutes; I want to see if I can get some tea while I am here." At this, Cornelia gave Irma a confused glare, but the water witch just smiled and wave. "Don't worry about me, I will be with you guys within seconds." Cornelia knew to argue with Irma was pointless, and Diana escorted the group to the door. Once the two girls were alone, Will broke down crying and Irma was there to hold her. "Hey, everything is going to be alright."

"I ruined everything." She got out between sobs and clutched to her friend like a kitten in a thunderstorm.

"You did not ruin anything." Irma continued and began to stroke her friend's hair to comfort her. "You stuck up to what you believe in and Hay-Lyn, Taranee, and I will stand by your side if this goes to trial. You have nothing to worry about, the council knows you are just trying your best to satisfy everyone." Her voice was soft and comforting, within a few minutes, Will's sobs ebbed, and she was able to stand on her own.

"Thank you, Irma." Will finally managed to get out and whipped the tears from her eyes. Then, her eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth in embarrassment before looking at the door. "I hope my yelling didn't wake him."

"About him, how bad are the damages?"

"I am unsure, I know his throat was cut and he was bleeding from his chest and back." Will's voice went hushed and she rubbed her hands in discomfort. "I never saw so much blood before; I was sure he was going to die."

"Stop getting yourself worked up, you are going to be fine and so is he, just wait and see." Irma did not let Will continue as she thought enough nerves had been fried today as is. "Speaking of him, do you think it is alright I have a word with him?"

Will gazed up at her friend with a confused look in her eyes, "I don't think he would be able to talk to you. He had this throat cut." It was then that Diana returned and headed for the door behind Will, she had overheard Irma's request to talk with him.

"He can't reply, but I'll see if he is awake and if the bandages hadn't leaked. If everything is to my standards, I will let you see him." With that, she entered the room quietly and left the girls waiting outside for around five minutes before returning. "He is awake and sedated so please keep your voices hushed. He won't be able to reply, so keep it short and don't ask any questions he won't be able to answer."

The girls thanked Diana and quietly entered the room. The moment Will entered, she realized Diana had adjusted the blanket to cover him up to his collarbone; Will was thankful for that. Carefully, Will sat on the edge of the bed and held the bandaged hand the rested on top of the covers. Immediately, she could hear his voice in her head. "I heard shouting, what happened?"

Before Will could say anything, Irma stood next to the bed, folded her arms across her chest, and gave him the look of a stern mother. "I heard you proposed to my friend." As expected, Phobos didn't reply but simply stared up at her. "Well, I will allow it if she wants to. Her decision is her decision and I will not stand in the way, but I have standards for my friend that I want you to uphold. Blink if you heard me."

He blinked.

"Good. Now, if you get married, I want you to always remember anniversaries, birthdays, and other special dates. If she is sick, you make sure she gets well within the week and that her favorite soup is made. If she wants to go on vacation, you better take her where she wants to go. You better never make her cry on purpose; I will excuse three mistakes before kicking your butt. Her happiness will be your priority. Blink if I have made myself clear."

He blinked.

"Good, now I will take my leave and have you two talk the details through." With that, Irma smiled at Will and left the room.

"What was all that about?" she heard in her mind. It was clear that, in his medicated mind, he understood only half of what Irma had just told him but blinked either way.

"She just wants to make sure I am taken care of."

"So, what is your answer on the proposal?"

"How about you recover first before I say anything."

XXXXX

Just behind the school, the girls waited for their friend to rejoin them; within seconds, Irma joined them. Immediately, Cornelia dug into her friend.

"What took you so long?"

"It took me literally five Earth seconds. I just wanted to calm Will down so she wouldn't do something rash."

"So, you are going to side with that traitor?"

"I am not siding with anyone in this fight. Will knows what she is doing, and I have faith in her."

"So, you are going to let the Heart of Kandrakar fall into his hands without a fight?"

"I never said that either. That is between Will and Phobos to discuss. I just have faith that Will knows what she is doing."

"What the hell is wrong with you? -"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Irma interrupted before Cornelia could work herself up again. "Is it that difficult to understand that I am on neither side of this fight here? Again, Will knows what she is doing and if you take this to the council, I will say everything exactly the way it is. I am not about to wreck this friendship we got over this mess nor am I going to get Will into more trouble than she already is. I won't let my emotions over this mess get the better of me and neither should you."

"We will be doing the same." Responded Hay-Lyn and Taranee nodded in agreement. Cornelia looked at her friends in shock and disbelief. "Look, it is clear you are upset, we all are, but we are putting our trust in Will."

"And what are you going to do if she chooses that monster over us?"

Taranee only shook her head at Cornelia. "Corny, you should listen to yourself. Will would never do that, and you know it."


	16. Chapter 15 The Pain

After a few minutes, Phobos fell asleep again, which Will thought was a good thing, since he could use all the rest he could get, and it gave her a moment to leave without having to worry about him. Leaving him alone, Will chose to go to the kitchen, which is where she thought Diana would be; she was still upset about everything Cornelia had said. She wasn't a traitor, she hadn't accepted the prince's proposal, she just did not think it right to kill him. Perhaps Diana would know what to do.

Of course, she found the brown-haired girl in the kitchen, standing by the stove and stirring soup in two pots. Looking over her shoulder Diana smiled at Will, "Good that you are here. I made you a potato soup since you haven't had anything in hours. Take a seat so we can eat"

Despite feeling no hunger whatsoever, Will knew better than to argue and took her seat at the table, soon a steaming bowl of home-made potato soup with ham in it was set in front of her. Diana had made herself a bowl too and joined Will at the table. "Is everything alright with the soup? I made it fresh."

"I am just not hungry right now."

"You haven't eaten in hours, at least have one bowl." Will just sighed and stared at her soup; despite having no appetite, she managed to eat three servings of soup. After finishing her last bowl, Will noticed the second, small, pot on the stove was still cooking.

"What are you cooking in that small pot?"

"A broth for our patient. Since his throat is damaged, I can't have him eat anything solid or with chunks. However, I can't have him subsist of jelly alone, so I made him a simple broth. Just something to pick up his energy." Diana replied with a smile and Will smiled back, it sounded like a good idea. However, then Diana asked a question that dampened the mood. "Sorry for my asking, but who exactly is your friend and why was he attacked?"

With a shaking sigh, Will started, "His name is Phobos Escanor of Meridian, the guy I told you was my enemy," Diana quietly nodded and let Will continue, "Well, one of my former friends asked Sophia to make a poison; a nasty thing that would cause him to suffer for a while before dying, From what Sophia explained, the poison has no cure and has a side effect." Diana remained quiet, letting Will speak everything. "She said it forced him to be bonded to me. If he isn't with me, he is in agony. He hadn't slept in 24 hours, so I think his mind wasn't working right when he asked me to marry him. I told my friends and one of them told my former friend about it. When Phobos was alone, he jumped him and, well…" Will let the story trail off and the two girls sat in silence for a moment.

"Are you sure there is no cure?"

"He was given leigheas and he is still suffering from the poison."

"Still, you should ask Sophia about a cure if it is that bad." Will couldn't argue with Diana's reasoning. With a nod, Will excused herself from the table and went to Sophia's room. Within three sets, she was there and knocked on the door; it did not take long for Sophia to answer. Peeking through a crack, Sophia asked her usual.

"How can I help you?"

"I want a cure for Phobos. I can pay if that is what it takes."

"Can't do that. There is no cure." Sophia's voice remained steady and cold. "I told you, your friend asked for a poison without a cure."

"Isn't there anything? Perhaps something stronger then leigheas?"

"Leigheas is, literally, the strongest cure in existence. The poison I made is called Sgaoileadh and uses leigheas as a base. To make it, I corrupt leigheas with a sample from a person I think would make a good boundee, add a few other herbs, then finish it off with a helping of maca. I boil everything down into a syrup form and gave it to your friend. I told him how to administer it and what it will do."

"I doubt Caleb would have used it if he knew what it would do."

"I told him what he ordered it for. Your friend, Caleb, did not ask how 'exactly' it worked and what its' side effects are. This is my business, so I don't have to tell anyone anything unless they ask." At this point, Sophia's door was fully open, and she leaned against it with her arms crossed like a teacher explaining something to a dull student.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Well, since there is no cure there are three things you can do. One, you can leave now and keep him locked in the Inbetween; the agony from the poison will cause him to die within three months. Two, you can put him out of his misery by killing him; Diana has a gun from her time in her village; just position it at the base of the head where the brainstem and spine meet, it will kill him instantly and without any suffering. Then there is the third option, which is where you stay with him; if you stay with him, he will live as though he was never poisoned and might live into his late 80's. That is usually when people die of complications from old age."

Will stared at Sophia dumbfounded and couldn't believe her ears; there was nothing to be done about the poison. "So, there is nothing I can do to cure him?"

"Now you are catching on! Now, I suggest you make up your mind on what you want to do with him because Diana might hide her gun."

"I don't want to kill him!"

"Fine, then stay with him. Quite frankly, I don't care what you do with him; just don't expect me to find ways to fix your friend's mess."

Will felt defeated, she wasn't going to kill him, so there weren't that many options to take. That is when a question popped into her head; with an uneasy feeling, Will looked into Sophia's eyes. "How much suffering does that poison exactly cause?"

Without hesitation, Sophia pulls Will into her room before heading to a glass case filled with bottles and jars. From there, Sophia pulls out a tiny bottle with an eye-dropper. Shaking it to mix its contents, Sophia returned to Will. "What is in this bottle is usually used to torture political prisoners and spies. It causes excruciating pain but doesn't leave a mark on the body nor is it trainable with any tests. If your friend had asked for a torture method, I would have given him this instead. However, he wanted something that can kill and this is anything but lethal."

"Why do you have that?"

"I sell to all sorts of people and I don't care what they use it for. Now, if you want to feel what he is suffering from just stick your tongue out an I'll give you a drop of this. You will feel agony similar to his for a few minutes, then you have a clearer image of what he is going through."

Will hesitated for a moment, remembering the warning Diana had given her about consuming anything Sophia offered; however, she wanted to understand what Phobos was suffering from so she could make a better decision. Gathering her confidence, Will stuck out her tongue and let Sophia place a single drop on it. It did not take long before taking effect.

Within seconds of being exposed to the substance, Will fell to her knees, her back felt like it was on fire and there were shards of ice in her veins. She felt like throwing up, yet there was plumbum in her stomach. She was shivering and sweating. What hurts the most was her heart; it felt as though frozen wires were wrapped around it and squeezed it. She couldn't breathe from it, agony and she wanted to crawl out of her own skin to escape this agony. Her muscles contracted and he lay on the ground in a trembling fetal position. She wanted to scream but couldn't.

As quick as the pain had come, it left again; within seconds, Will could breathe again and she shakingly got up. Her mind couldn't comprehend what had happened to her, but she now knew what he was suffering from and wanted nothing more than to help him ebb agony. Without a word to Sophia, Will rushed out of the room and back to the room where she knew Phobos was kept. Without knocking she entered the room; to her surprise, Diana was there, standing over the prince with a bowl of broth and a spoon in hand. "Will is everything alright?"

It took Will a moment to realize that she was covered in sweat and tears, "I am fine, I just had a talk with Sophia; there is no cure and I got a glimpse of what he is going through," she gestured to Phobos, "Do you need any help?"

"He is just being fussy about eating the broth. I have had this happen before, eventually, they all eat." Diana replied with a smile and attempted to feed the prince another spoonful of broth, but the moment she got it close to his lips he pressed them shut and slightly shook his head. Hesitantly, Will walked up to them.

"May I try?"

"Sure, give it a go. The broth is cool so it wouldn't burn. Take your time and when you are done, we can change his bandages." With that, Diana hands Will the bowl and left to fetch fresh bandages. Taking a seat at the edge of the bed Will looked into his eyes and smiled at him. He was propped up on a pillow, so it was easy for them to look at each other. Carefully, Will tried to feed him a spoonful of broth; he reacted just like he had with Diana.

"Come on, please don't make this any harder than it already is."

He did not reply, so Will returned to spoon to the bowl and touched his hand to hear him. "Please don't make me drink that. It burns."

"I understand, but I really need you to eat this. If you don't regain your strength, you won't get any better."

"I overheard you, there is no cure for the poison."

"Do not try to change the subject."

"I am not, I just told you what I suspected since the leigheas wasn't working."

"Yes, there is no cure," Will replied with a sigh, "I thought I could find another way to help you, so we did not have to go through with this marriage idea of yours."

"Oh, well, I thank you for the effort." For a moment, Will thought she heard something bitter in his voice, but ignored it since he still was in pain from the injuries. "May I attempt the broth again?"

A little put off guard, Will carefully fed him one spoon; he slowly took it and winced when the salty liquid ran over his damaged throat. However, he did not refuse it and soon, the bowl was empty; as if timed, Diana entered just as the bowl was empty. At first, they changed the bandages on his hands; his fingers and the palm of his hands were cut from where he had grabbed the blade. They looked painful but would heal quickly with the salve. Will could see the flesh heal-up as Diana applied another layer of salve before wrapping them up again. Next, they changed the bandages covering his chest and back; they were more severe, and Will could feel him tremble from pain as she held him upright to allow Diana to change the bandages. Lastly came the time to change the bandage around his neck. The bandages came off with ease until the final layer where the dried blood had glued it to the wound. With his eyes clenched shut, Phobos hissed when Diana gently pulled the final layer from his neck. Will could feel her own spine shiver with sympathetic pain when Diana did that. The neck looked atrocious. The cut was deep and stretched from one side of his neck to the other, just an inch short from the jugular vain; like the other wounds, this one was red and swollen with healing. Luckily, it didn't bleed when Diana removed the bandages; the salve must be acting as a form of barrier. Like the other wounds, Diana added new salve and bandaged it up again. The whole ordeal took an hour and by the end, Will knew Phobos was about to fall unconscious.

Diana settled him back down and quietly took her leave, Will stayed behind; she knew if she left the poison would rake through his damaged body again and now, after knowing how he felt, she couldn't leave him suffering. Besides, she felt exhausted herself; she hadn't done much physically, but emotionally she felt drained. When she knew he was lying comfortably on the bed, Will went to lay down next to him, laying under the covers since her feet felt like they were packed in ice. Taking his newly bandaged hand, she asked "Did it hurt a lot? Diana knows what she is doing and didn't want to hurt you."

"I will be fine." Again, something sounded wrong with his reply and it bothered Will.

"Is something wrong? You sound upset."

"The broth burned my throat, I got a view of my injuries, and feel the pain of them; none of what I mentioned would give me a reason to sound cheerful."

"No, it is more than that. I know it."

"You don't sound cheerful either and I know it is more than just my plight." She hated it when he was right.

"I had a falling out with my friend."

"Because of me and the proposal. Did you tell them you were going to say no?" Now, Will knew why he sounded so upset. She had hurt his ego.

"Oh, so that is why you are upset. You are upset that I didn't want to marry you!"

"I never said that. If anything, I was going to discuss this with you in hopes of finding an alternative, so we didn't have to marry."

"Then why did you propose in the first place?" Will could feel anger growing in her chest.

"I was exhausted and in pain. I wasn't in a clear state of mind when I proposed to you."

"You couldn't have told me this sooner?"

"When did I have the opportunity to discuss this with you?"

"I insulted my friend and might lose my position as a guardian because of you!" her grip on his hand tightened, "Do you have any idea what trouble you put me in?"

"I never asked you to choose me. You could have just told your friend that you did not plan on taking my proposal seriously- "Will cut him off.

"Who the hell do you think I am? Do you honestly think I like seeing you or ANYONE like this? You are so dense! I hate you and your stupid ego. Even if it wasn't my job to keep existence safe from you, I would NEVER marry you! I know so little about you and what I do know make me sick. Honestly, it would have been better I came too late to your rescue. I could mourn your death and Meridian would have its' rightful Queen." Her grip tightens more and suddenly, she heard him wince, which snapped her out of her angry fit and she saw what she was doing; her knuckles were turning white. Immediately, she loosens her hold and stifles a sob. She hadn't meant to hurt him nor did she intend to say half the things she did. She felt sick as she realized how much she sounded like Cornelia; however, it was what he said next that stung.

"Nothing you have just said is new to me." Will felt like breaking down crying; neither one of them had asked for this, but life chose to hand them a broken mirror and deal with it. "You should get some rest now."

"How-" she still couldn't understand his actions. "How can you stay so calm in all of this?"

"Will, look at my body. I am damaged and weak. I don't have the energy to fight nor can I even speak. All I have is my mind and even it is exhausted. I have no choice but to lay here and listen with half a working mind. Get some rest, the world will be the same when you wake up, but you will have the energy to deal with it."

"I am sorry for what I said." Will managed to get out as exhaustion began to take over. "I don't want you to die."

"I know. I heard you say it."


	17. Chapter 16 The Walk

Will awoke from a dreamless sleep, she still felt tired but better than before. Stretching in place, she chose to turn around and see if the prince was awake; she still felt bad over the things she had said to him. Rolling over, she kept her eyes closed and felt for his hand or chest but felt nothing except empty space. Her eyes snapped open and he was gone; however, his side of the bed was still warm so he couldn't have gone far. Sitting up, she listened and even called his name, but he did not reply. With growing worry, Will got out of bed and into the hallway hoping Diana had taken him back to the operating room to pull the stitches. Closing her eyes, she pictured him in her mind and took three steps forward; when she opened them, she found Diana leading Phobos slowly through the hallways. Diana immediately noticed Will behind them and smiled. "Oh, Will you are awake. Your friend asked to walk for a bit, and I allowed it."

"Oh, great but why didn't you wake me and let me know? I got a little worried."

"You were asleep, and he did not want me to wake you, so we left you to sleep." At this point, Phobos turned to face Will and gave her a weak smile. Will returned the smile before returning to Diana.

"I appreciate what you are doing, but may I take your spot I would like to talk with him for a bit." Diana looked back and forth between Will and Phobos for a second before agreeing.

"Alright, all I am doing is walking slowly beside him so he can lean against me when he needs to. However, keep the walk short and no fast movements. The wounds, though healing, as still fresh and he will lose his energy quickly. If you think he is too shaky, regardless of what he says, put him back to bed." Will nodded and Diana transferred him to her shoulders before leaving.

"So, you can talk again?" Will looked up at him and held his hand, expecting to hear his voice in her head again, but this time he opened his mouth and responded in a dry, cracking voice that could not be comfortable to speak with.

"I…am…getting…better."

"How about we continue communicating with your voice in my head until your throat is properly healed up."

"I can agree with that." He responded in her mind and simply gave her a weak smile. Will smiled back and began to help him down the hallway; as they walked, the awkward silence grew to an unbearable point. Last nights conversation was still fresh in Will's memory and she couldn't simply pretend it had never happened.

"I am sorry about what happened last night."

"I know, you were upset."

"It is not just that. I didn't mean what I said about coming too late." While he is leaned against her shoulder, she starts fiddling with her nails and stares at the ground. "I don't actually hate you…well, I don't hate you anymore. I don't really know how to feel about you since I don't know enough about you- "

"And what you do, you hate." He continued. This sent a chill down Will's back and her grip on his hand tightened. Why are you here with me instead of fixing the fractured relationship between you and your friend?"

"She isn't the one who was stabbed and almost died," Will replied, trying to lift the mood. "Besides, I doubt she would even listen to me at this point."

"Perhaps your other friends could act as a mediator?"

"She wouldn't listen to them either. She thinks I am a traitor and that anyone who sides against her is one too. She yelled at Irma for asking about the wedding."

"Might I ask why your friend, Irma, is hoping of our marriage?" He then thought for a moment and laughed, "Wait, she was the one who instructed me on what to do once married?"

"She thinks it is the best for everyone if we did and she just wants to make sure I am happy."

"You think I can't make you happy?" Again, he was beginning to tease her. Will did not mind since it lifted the heavy mood.

"Oh, I know you couldn't make me happy. I am never satisfied and complain all the time. You would go insane within the first week." She joked back and he laughed despite his injured throat.

"Then it is a good thing we aren't getting married. We would just tear each other apart." They chuckled and then fell silent again as they slowly walked through the hallway. She tried to hide how the tiny part that liked him felt crushed at his last comment. Just as the silence was beginning to grow annoying again, he piped up again. "So, is she the one who asked how many kids you planned to have with me?"

"Yes, she is weird like that." His comment still bugged her. "So, you were planning on taking the proposal back?"

This had completely blindsided him and he took a moment to star at her. "I thought you felt the same way? You said you were going to say no."

"I never said that- "

"I thought you said you would never marry me even if you weren't a guardian?" he sounded confused. Will felt confused in all of this, she did not know what to do in this situation and regretted everything she had said the previous night. Sensing her distress, he gently squeezed her hand. "It is your choice. -"

"I don't have a choice in this. I have to say no- "

"Who told you, that you don't have a choice? So far, there is no one telling you what to do. I am not even telling you what to do. I could try to persuade you to marry me, but I am leaving the choice to you."

"Then why don't you try to persuade me?"

"Marriage is one thing you can't force someone into if you desire a happy and peaceful marriage. I know that, if I force you, we would both be miserable. Now, explain why you think you have no choice."

"Do I really need to explain? After everything you have done, there is no way the council would allow me to marry you even if I wanted to." Will could feel his mood growing sour when she mentioned the council, clearly, he had a sore spot for them.

"If I were you, I would never trust a single thing the council orders you to do."

"You are just saying that because they erected The Veil to keep you from conquering the rest of existence."

"Who says I was going to do any of that? Even if so, who did they send my sister to Earth and kept me in Meridian? Wouldn't it have made more sense to send me to Earth and keep Elyon in Meridian so she could learn to be a proper Queen? If they had done that, then none of us would be in this position we are in right now!" He was growing more and more angry with every word. His cheeks turned red with anger and he attempted to speak with his damaged throat, but only managed to aggravate his sore throat. Will wasn't sure if he was shaking with anger, from exhaustion, or if his anger exhausted him and it worried her. However, Will had to admit to herself that she had never thought of it that way and he had a point. "I don't care what you answer is or will be, but it should be your choice, not that of some council who have no idea what it is like to suffer under their idiotic decisions!"

It was then that his energy gave out and nearly fell to the floor if Will hadn't caught him. Her heart skipped a beat when his knees gave out; luckily, she caught hold of him and had him lean against her; this close to him, she could feel his heart beat against her, it was frantic and uneven. To keep him steady, she wrapped her arms around him and held him close; he placed his arms around her on instinct; for a moment, both simply stood there holding each other. Against her want, she cheeks flushed red and her heart began to gallop wildly as he held her; he felt warm and firm against her and he enjoyed holding him like this. However, the moment was short lived when he pulled himself free from her arms to stand on his own unsteady feet. "How about I get you back to bed."

He did not argue with her and allowed her to lead him back to his room without a word. The silence gave her time to think and his words rang in her mind. He was right, it would have been better if Elyon was allowed to stay in Meridian and Phobos get sent to Earth. Surely the Oracle would have known the issues that would arise with the plan they chose. Elyon knew nothing about Meridian or ruling a nation; she barely passed Math. Phobos, on the other hand, had been raised in Meridian and knew the difficulties and techniques to rule the kingdom. Even if Elyon desired to become Queen, she would need to be educated on such, which opens the opportunity for some to use her as a puppet. If that happened, whoever would rule Meridian would do much worse than Phobos. Why had the council chosen such a faulty plan?

Nothing made sense anymore and Will wished she could skip back in time to prevent the poisoning; life was easier then. Luckily, they quickly reached his room and the prince was returned to his bed within the minute. With the prince safely and comfortably tucked in bed, Will took a seat beside him and stared at him. She now knew that she did not hate him; however, she did not love him either, at least not fully. She simply did not know enough about him to conclude her feelings towards him. He caught her staring and asked. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"What is your favorite color?" this surely came out of nowhere and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"I do not follow…"

"I don't know enough about you to say if I like you or not. Thus, I can't say if I would marry you or not. I thought we could attempt to start over by getting to know each other. So, what is your favorite color?" he still stared at her as though she had completely lost her mind but humored her.

"Then shouldn't we introduce ourselves first?"

"I guess you are right." She then extends her hand and smiles at him, "Hi, my name is Wilhelmina Vandom, but my friends call me Will, so please call me that." He smiles back at her and shakes her hand.

"My name is Phobos Escanor; however, since you want to be called Will, I'll just call you Wilhelmina instead." He chuckles and she narrows her eyes at him, knowing he just wants to tease her again. However, instead of dwelling on it, she fell back on her previous question.

"So, what is your favorite color?"

"Well, Wilhelmina, since no one has ever asked me, I am unsure, but I think it would be turquoise blue."

"Nice, I don't really have a favorite color, but I like the way red looks on things." She tried to ignore that he used her actual name.

"Like your hair?"

"Except for that. I hate it."

"Okay, now I am curious. Tell me, Wilhelmina, why do you hate your hair color?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow. Despite their checkered past, he had always enjoyed the sight of her hair. Red hair was rare in Meridian.

"It is annoying!"

"The hair color or that I keep using your full name?"

"Both, but more exactly, I hate my hair color. It limits what I can wear, and people have bullied me over it." Will replied with a bitter undertone, Phobos only laughed.

"Your hair doesn't stop you from wearing anything."

"Yes, it does. I can't wear green because it makes me look pale and I can't wear red because it doesn't fit my hair. I also can't wear any deep blues…Correction, there are very few things I can wear without looking funny." Unexpectedly, the prince quietly stared at her, which made Will a little uneasy.

"I think you would look great in red." Will just stared at him with a flat expression.

"Yeah right."

"I am serious, I think you would look great in red."

"You are just saying that so I would have a reason to like you."

"I am saying this because red is a rare hair color in Meridian." At this, Will couldn't help but blush. Something about him calling anything about her 'rare' made her feel a little special. Seeing her flushed cheeks, Phobos grinned at his minor victory.

"Wilhelmina, either you have caught a fever, or I struck a nerve with you." Will playfully smacked his hand and glared at him.

"It is just that I didn't know red was a rare hair color in Meridian, that is all. No one has ever told me." She then attempted to smile, but her blushed cheeks and racing heart made it feel awkward to her. "On a positive note, you would defiantly never overlook me in Meridian." He only chuckled in response.

"On another note, why don't you wear anything in turquoise? I only ever see you wear something dark?" she raised an eyebrow at him and smiled, surely he had a similar problem to hers when it came to wearing his favorite color.

"It has never occurred to me, but I might take it into consideration."

"I'll do you one better." Will grinned, "On a chosen day, I will dare you to wear turquoise."

"In that case, Wilhelmina, I'll dare you to wear red." Again, she lightly smacked his hand.

"I told you to call me Will."

"Why?"

"Because my full name makes me feel old!"

"Considering your age, wouldn't that be a good thing?" he showed her a toothy grin and chuckled, Will simply gave him a sour look and waved it off. He was having fun and it didn't appear to hurt him. It didn't hurt her either but only bothered her a little. That is when Diana quietly entered the room with another bowl of broth; Will saw her minor revenge and she smiled at the prince. His smile dropped.

"I can feed him again." Will volunteered and took the bowl from Diana, who simply nodded and let Will do it. Will returned to her spot and smiled at him, holding his hand she said, "You know how this goes."

"I can feed myself, I don't- "

"Ae you sure about that? Look at your hands." He only took one look to recognize he couldn't and opened his mouth for the first spoon.


	18. Chapter 17 The Healing

Every day in the Inbetween, Phobos got a little better. The first thing to properly heal were his hands and his voice slowly became stronger; starting with a raspy whisper and evolving to a healthy volume with a scratchy undertone. With every day that he got better, Will got to know him a little better. She quickly discovered that, when they weren't pressured to fight each other, they could have a civil conversation about their likes and dislikes. She discovered that he preferred tea over coffee and that he spoke several languages. In return, he discovered her fascination for frogs and that she was allergic against nettles; to which his response was, "Isn't everyone?"

They laughed and listened to each other; however since their walk Will hasn't mentioned the council for fear of upsetting the prince to exhaustion again. With every day in the Inbetween, she became a little fonder of the prince, since she was finally allowed to meet his humane side. Despite this, she kept track of the passage of time; by her calculations, it was 2:30 am back on Earth. In addition, she tried to keep her emotions for the prince hidden from both him and herself; she did not want to admit that he liked his humane side and often tried to remember the times they fought and nearly killed each other. Yet, all it took was another question about the other's likes or dislikes, and the memories fell into the background. She theorized that he attempted the same and failed just like her; it was more fun to get to know each other than to fight each other and it was less painful. During this time, Will also wondered why Irma was so hyped about their potential relationship? She theorized that, since Irma had the power of water, that she had thought about a path of least resistance. What could be less resistance then becoming friends with your enemy?

During their time in the Inbetween, Will introduced Phobos to Sophia and explained that she was the one who produced the poison he would be suffering from for the rest of his life. It only took a short conversation for him to know that Sophia never found herself as guilty. She was a businesswoman and only considered the production of the product her jurisdiction not what people use her products for. Will kept the information on who poisoned and attacked him to herself; she wanted to deal with this issue in person.

After another dinner from Diana, they retreated to a living room. He thought of Diana as an alright person with many skills; however, he did not appreciate the broth he had to consume while his through was healing. Diana did not care and told him she had heard worse complains from soldiers before. Sitting in the Livingroom with a roaring fire in the fireplace and a row of books behind them they laughed at stories they told each other.

"So, what is your deepest secret?" Will asked while catching her breath.

"It would have to be the time when I got away with playing the most expensive game of dominos in Meridian," Re replied with a grin, his voice still a little ruff from the injuries.

"How did you manage that?"

"I was 5 and my parents couldn't be bothered to raise me in person, so they hired a governess. I was caught skipping my lessons to read a book in the library. When she found me, she took the book and set it on top a bookshelf where she thought I couldn't reach. Later in the day, I returned to the library to retrieve my book; I couldn't find a latter or a stool, so I simply climbed up the shelf. I am unsure of what exactly I've don't to upset the shelf, but the moment I reached the top, it began to tilt. Before I knew what was happening, the bookshelf fell over and hit the one behind it, which hit the one behind it, and the one behind it. When the disaster hit the last bookshelf in the row, that bookshelf hit the adjacent one. This when on for a solid minute and row after row of bookshelves filled to the brim with manuscripts and important documents, fell over. I ran for my room before anyone could discover the disaster. I am pretty sure my governess knew it was my doing, but she could never prove anything." Will let the story sink in for a moment before bursting out laughing as she pictured the scene. He laughed too remembering it and that he got away with it. "Now it is your turn."

Will caught her breath and cleared her throat. "Fine, but I doubt it is as spectacular as your story."

"Try it."

"Alright, this happened when I was 7 and it was a horrible winter. It was -10C and there was snow over 40cm tall. However, the city managed to clean the streets well enough so people could use their cars. One day during that winter, my father complained that it was so cold that he was worried about the fuel in his car. So, in my mind, I thought I would help my father and put antifreeze in the fuel tank. My father was livid, and he had to get the car towed away and the system drained. I thought I was doing a good thing, but I just ended doing more damage." She did not even consider that he might not know what a car or antifreeze was, but it still had the desired effect.

"I guess we were both horrible children!" he managed to say between gasps for air.

"I think you were a little worse than me since you destroyed an entire library to get one book! I at least tried to help my father." Will giggled in return and gently smacked his shoulder. "What was so special about that book anyway?"

"I do not remember."

"You wrecked an entire library and you don't even remember what the book was about?" her sides began to sting from laughter.

"The book became less important after the thirst bookcase fell over."

Their laughter was interrupted by loud thud; they turned in the direction and saw Nana laying in the ground gasping for breath and shivering. She was covered in snow and ice and soaked to the bone; she looked like he had been in a fight with a polar bear. Will immediately shot up from her seat and rushed over to her friend and Phobos followed her. Will knelt beside her friend and asked in a panicked tone "Nana are you alright?"

Shaking, Nana got to her knees and looked up at Will and Phobos. "'ello Will…" she then noticed Phobos, "'nd blondie. Just been gat'erin' t'ings for Sophia's collection." She then raised an eyebrow at Phobos. "Blondie, w'atcha doin' here?"

The prince simply stared down at the cat girl unable to comprehend her lax way of talking to someone she had fought. "Well, since ya ain't talkin'- "

"Aren't you the one who hit me over the head and kicked me in the side?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry for hittin' ya, I ain't sorry for kickin' ya." Replied Nana and managed to get her thawing legs to work and allowing her to stand. "So w'atcha doin' here?"

"He got attacked and poisoned- "

"Oh wit' t'e sleepin' t'ing?" Nana replied before Will could finish.

"Sleeping potion?" Will raised her eyebrow.

"I don't recall suffering from any drowsiness." Added Phobos and Will began to put the puzzle pieces together.

"Nana, who asked you to help with the sleeping potion?"

"Ain't ever told me 'is name. But, 'e tall, brown 'air- "

"With a leather jacket and boots and brown-blue eyes?" Will finished, realizing Caleb had used Nana in his plan.

"Yup said some'in' 'bout a heist. So 'e led me to t'is place wit' a castle and I hypnotized blondie wit' mah trick. 'don't like t'at guy muc'; 'e too c'eap to pay me." Nana replied, a little annoyed she was interrupted and began to head for the door when she turned her head to look back and say, "No 'ard feelin's blondie. Just business."

With that, the cat-girl was gone, and Will was left alone with Phobos, who now knew she knew who had poisoned and attacked him. "So, you know our mystery assassin?"

"I will handle it." She replied in a flat tone, trying to control her anger.

"I am the one attacked and have to set an example for Meridian to follow, otherwise others might attempt- "

"I said, I will handle it!" she repeated through gritted teeth. She had a plan on what to do with Caleb when she stood before the council; that is if they let her speak her case. "So far, no one in Meridian knows of this. Caleb isn't dumb enough to brag or celebrate, so no one knows of this. I will deal with this."

"Wilhelmina, I- "That is when she turned to the prince red with anger.

"Did the poison affect your hearing? I said I will handle it! I need you to stay out of this." Realizing she just snapped at him, she lowered her head and hugged herself. She understood what he meant and that it was only royal protocol to punish those who attack the crown, but this was her battle to fight, not his. He was just collateral damage. Taking a deep breath, she added in a solemn tone, "Please, just trust me on this."

Will was surprised when she felt arms wrap around her; instead of fighting her over this subject, he surrendered and held her instead. Holding her, he wondered why he did that? Usually he would just drop the subject or argue the point with her until she surrendered; however, something told him it best to trust her. He concluded it must be the poison. However, he did enjoy the warmth of holding her.

Despite her initial surprise, Will wrapped her arms around the prince and buried her face in his chest. She smiled when she heard his slow and steady heartbeat; he was getting better even with the poison permanently affecting him. For a moment, she allowed herself to think of the poison as a blessing in disguise until she remembered the pain he suffered from when she wasn't around. Then she remembered the proposal, he hadn't mentioned it since their walk, and she began to wonder if she should take it seriously. If she did, what about her mother and friends? Would she be allowed to visit them? Surely, he would allow her. Then she wondered about her schooling and how she would complete it if she married him. Her thoughts were interrupted when he chuckled. "I might let you visit your friends and family, or I might just keep you captive in my castle. Never to see the light of day again."

She couldn't help but laugh a little obvious attempt to sound villainous. "You had better responses before you were poisoned."

"Before I was poisoned, I barely knew you. It is easier to hate someone you see as a stranger than someone whose car-destroying secret you know. Besides, I doubt the poison would allow me to hurt you, even if I wanted to."

Will smiled to herself and held him a little tighter. He had a point; it would have been easier to fight him if she knew nothing about him. For a long moment, they simply stood there and held each other. Will even thought of comparing this moment to a scene from a bad romance movie. That is when another thought struck her; in the movies, this is when the woman moves to kiss the guy. Since her first romance hit the rocks and sank, perhaps she could attempt this one? It was an insane thought, since less than a week ago they would have fought each other to the death. Then again, less than a week ago she didn't know about the domino game in the library. There was no way she would be able to see him as a threat after learning that from him.

Carefully, she moved her arms from around his waist to his shoulders and moved to kiss him. Unexpectedly, he put his fingers against her lips and gently pushed her away. The poison that was wrapped around his heart urged him to let her, but his mind still worked clearly. Given the fragile state they were in, this might work against Will and him and his mind couldn't allow that. "You really shouldn't do anything you might regret before you talk to the council."

Will's eyes snapped open and her cheeks turned a bright strawberry red when she realized what she was about to do. Immediately, she pulled away from him and stared at the floor in embarrassment. "I-I-I am sorry. I wasn't…I mean…You…"

She couldn't get her mind and mouth to work properly and it made the situation worse for her by the second. "I understand what you want to say, but I doubt a romantic relationship would look flattering in the eyes of the council since your friend would argue that I am attempting to steal the heart from you."

That is when Will looked up at him and had an idea; she knew Taranee would search her mind if the council asked for it. With a swift motion, she pulled the heart out from under her shirt and off her neck, holding it out at arm's length to him. "Well, it can't be taken by force, but I could give it to you."

At this, Phobos closed his eyes, shook his head, and asked in a calm yet tired voice. "Wilhelmina, why would I take it now?"

"Don't you want its' power?"

"Wilhelmina, would taking the heart cure me of this poison?"

"No." she never heard the Yan-Lyn mention it could heal. Since the poison had no cure, there was a slim chance the heart could.

"And if I took it now, would it frighten you away from my side?"

"I think so…yes, I would be frightened away from you." Her arms lowered itself as she knew where this conversation was going.

"And who does the poison bind me to?"

"The poison binds you to me."

"So, I am bound to you by an incurable poison. Why would I do anything that would cause you to be frightened away? I might as well throw myself off the tallest castle tower to think of taking the heart from you." Again, Will's eyes fell to the floor and she felt like hiding, she felt so ashamed. She should have known what his answer would be, why did she need him to spell it out for her? With a sigh, the prince put his hands on her shoulders and pressed his forehead against hers with his eyes still closed.

"Will, I understand what you were trying to do and I trust you."


	19. Chapter 18 The Trial

Despite the failed kiss, Will curled up against Phobos during their last night at the Inbetween; however, Will was too nervous to catch any sleep and so was the prince. They simply lay in bed and stared at each other. Each knew they were on thin ice and neither knew how to fix it. Carefully, they held hands and lay in silence. This might be the last time they saw each other. If the council wanted, they could send Will to the other side of infinity or lock Phobos away in a prison where Will couldn't get to him. Despite her efforts, she had fallen for this man and she knew he held her dear as well. She wasn't sure how much she meant to him, but that did not matter to her; all that mattered was that someone cared for her and tolerated her temper. At the same time, part of her wondered why she began to love him and wondered if this was just another way of his manipulation. Then again, she did offer the heart to him and he denied it. Perhaps it was another form of manipulation or it could be that he honestly didn't desire it. This mental back and forth only made her feel even more nervous. In addition, she wondered if he could read her thoughts or if he was ignoring them. Will was snapped out of her train of thought when the prince reached out and stocked a strand of hair away from her face. "Why can't I read your thoughts?"

"Have you tried?" he replied and tucked the strand of hair behind her ear.

"I think so, but I can't. Are you shielding them from me?"

"No, I haven't" he replied fully honest. "Are you sure you have tried?"

"Yes."

"Then keep trying. Reading thoughts isn't easy and it takes a long time to get good at it. Shielding your thoughts is just as difficult and takes a lot of energy. You have to force yourself past barrier of the body and into the mind; there you need to remain concentrated on one thought and one alone. Otherwise, it would be like attempting to comprehend a room of 1,000 people having different conversations at the same time."

"My friend Taranee can read thoughts."

"Thoughts or memories?"

"What is the difference?"

"Memories are easier to follow then thoughts." He replied, hoping she could comprehend his explanation. "I have been practicing reading thoughts for years, so I got good with it over time."

"Are you reading my thoughts now?"

"No, I doubt it would be a good idea to make you more nervous than you already are." She nodded in understanding and trusted him. From there, they fell silent again until the artificial sunlight crept through the windows of the Inbetween; by Will's calculations, it was 3:30 am back on Earth. Still feeling uneasy, Will and Phobos said their goodbyes to Diana, they couldn't get a hold of either Sophia and Nana, and left the Inbetween; they reappeared behind the school. Within the blink of an eye, Will didn't even notice it, the prince used the illusion spell and appeared like a regular guy beside her. She could still tell it was him though since he didn't bother changing his hair color or its' length. Then again, she couldn't imagine him appearing any other way. Holding onto his arm, they walked through the empty streets of Heatherfield in complete silence. There was so much she wanted to say to him but worried she couldn't because of her visit with the council. Her thoughts were interrupted when he stopped in front of the bookstore. "I think it is best if I stop here and let you go. The council is eager to speak with you, but they would teleport you if I am nearby."

"Oh, I think you are right." Her cheeks blushed red and her heart began to race from fear. Sensing her worry, the prince bent down and whispered to her in a calm voice.

"Don't worry, they won't hurt you. Just tell them what you think and what happened. They might be idiots, but they aren't cruel to the ones they like." This didn't make her feel any better, but she appreciated the gesture. With a shaky voice, she bid him farewell and slowly walked down the empty street; she didn't dare look back if she did she might lose what little courage she had. Keeping her head down, she turned a corner and felt something about her surroundings change. She knew what happened and where she was; the council had found her and teleported her to Kandrakar. Looking up, she came face to face with Yan-Lyn, who looked at her with disappointment in her old eyes. "Will, Cornelia has told us some troubling news about you and the prince starting a relationship."

"I have an inkling of what she might have told you and I bet she only told you half the story. There is more to it, but I want to call three friends and Caleb as witnesses if I may. Irma knows who I mean with friends." Will kept her voice steady and head high; she was going to tell the council the truth and hide nothing. Surely this was the best way to go. Yan-Lyn closed her eyes and nodded before leading Will to a room where her friends had been waiting; it was clear the only lady had a headache from this case. In the room, she was immediately greeted by Irma, who threw her arms around Will and gave her a tight hug.

"Will, how are you? Is everything alright? You aren't hurt, are you? Do you still have the heart?" she asked in rapid-fire succession.

"I am fine, and I still have the heart. However, I need you to get the girls from the Inbetween. Please get all of them if you can. They are witnesses in this case."

"I am on it!" With that, Irma dashed out of the room and Will was left with Taranee, Hay-Lyn, and a very angry Cornelia. Yan-Lyn, meanwhile, left to prepare the council for the case.

"Did anything happen between you and the prince while you were in the Inbetween? You two have been in that place for a while." Taranee asked in a worried tone.

"Maybe she is already pregnant with his bastard." Cornelia hissed, still boiling from their previous argument. Taranee only sighed in exasperation; clearly, she had heard Cornelia complain for hours and Hay-Lyn shot her friend a dirty look.

"Cornelia, that was a very nasty thing to say." Hay-Lyn spat, obviously fed up with Cornelia's attitude. "How can you say something like that about our friend? Are you really going to let this fight get under your skin?"

"Are you really that stupid or has Irma's brainwashing finally gotten to you? Phobos is our enemy and anyone who is on his side is our enemy as well." Cornelia redirected her anger at the air witch. This gave Taranee and Will a moment to speak in semi-privacy.

"Did anything happen you need us o know before the trial starts?"

"Read my mind and you will know everything that has happened while I was in the Inbetween." Replied Will and lowered ahead a little for Taranee. The fire witch was a little surprised and looked at her friend in shock.

"Are you absolutely sure about this? Your mind is private, and I don't always want to intrude."

"Taranee, of all the times you could intrude by reading my mind, this isn't one of them." Replied Will and gave her friend a warm, reassuring smile. Taranee shook the tremble out of her fingers before putting her hands to Wills' head. Will could feel the warmth of Taranee's powers slowly creep through her mind; it only took Taranee a minute before she retreated from Will's mind and looked at her friend in surprise.

"Did you really offer the heart to him?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

"I did test him. I willingly offered it to him, and he refused it. Surely, that has to count for something." Will replied in an equally hushed tone while Hay-Lyn and Cornelia continued their argument. The bickering girls were cut short in their argument when the door to the room swung open again and the three girls from the Inbetween ran in.

"Will, we hurried up the moment we heard what was going on. Has the trial started yet?" asked Diana in a panic.

"You haven't missed anything yet." Replied Will, relieved to see her friend. Even if Cornelia had turned against her, Will still had friends to fall back on.

"The trial hasn't started yet. Please, when you are questioned respond with honesty."

"O' course we will gal!" replied Nana with a toothy smile, "We ain't got not'in' to hide!" it was then that the door opened again, and Caleb stepped in.

The moment Will's eyes fell upon her former friend, she felt sick to her stomach with anger. As if sensing her anger, Caleb kept his distance from Will and walked to stand next to Cornelia, who immediately wrapped her arms around his shoulders and placed a kiss on his cheek. To her, the rebel boy was a hero. The group fell silent; that is when the door opened again to reveal Yan-Lyn. The old woman looked tired and she had a limp in her walk from her surgery. This trial hadn't even started, and it was tearing at her nerves. "Please follow me."

Without speaking a word to each other, the group followed the old woman. As they walked, Taranee and Irma kept their arms around a trembling Will, while Hay-Lyn followed her grandmother like a shadow, Cornelia kept her arms linked around Caleb's, and the Inbetween girls walked in their own group. Those three were clear outsiders to Kandrakar and they knew it, but they remained stoic; like a group of business people entering a government building. Nana appeared to have the least amount of worry of the three; walking with a gait like she intended to mop the floor with the council if she didn't like the verdict.

After walking down three hallways and two doors, the group arrived in a large circular room with a high, illuminated ceiling. The walls were a light, cloud-like purple and seemed to glow from within. The enormous double doors shut behind the group when the last person entered, and Will nearly jumped out of her skin when the doors shut like a tomb. Before the group stood three figures. Yan-Lyn, Tibor, and the Oracle standing between them. This was a small jury and it was clear that they intended as little people to know as necessary.

"Wilhelmina Vandom, please step forward." Ordered Tibor, his old voice boomed in the large room. And Will shrank back a bit, feeling what little remained of her courage dwindle away. Taranee gave her friend a reassuring nudge and Will stepped out from the group; she shook as hard as she was tall and her knees felt weak; even with her friends standing less than three feet away, she felt alone. "It has come to our attention that you and Prince Phobos have entered a romantic relationship and have, therefore, endangered the safety of Kandrakar. Is this true?"

"N-N-Not fully." Will managed to squeak out. She felt like crying.

"Will, please tell us your accounts of the past 48 hours." Said Yan-Lyn before Tibor could have the chance to criticize the young woman. When Will didn't respond, Yan-Lyn verbally nudged her. "You may start with the attack on the village."

Clearing her throat, Will began her account. "On that day, I arrived at school and was informed about an unprovoked attack on a royal-loyal village. My fellow guardians and I used Astro-drops to hide out absence from school and traveled to Meridian where the attack was in full effect. I was caught off guard and captured. I was knocked unconscious and awoke in the castle dungeon where Lord Cedric informed me that the prince had been poisoned and that I was the main suspect. I was taken out of my cell and brought before the prince. Phobos ordered Cedric to leave the room; when we were alone, he kissed me. It was unprovoked and I hit him right afterward. He told me the symptoms he suffered from, which are immense pains in his chest which are only relieved when I am in his presence."

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" asked Hay-Lyn before Tibor had a chance argue Will's point.

"The Prince told me himself and I discovered the effects of the poison from the one who made it."

"And who produced this poison?"

"Sophia produced it on Caleb's request," Will replied and pointed to Sophia, who simply stared at the council with a blank expression.

"Alright, will this Sophia please step forward?" requested Tibor and Sophia did as he asked.

"First off, it is Sophia Heiler and yes, I produced the poison on the request of that man right there." Sophia pointed a finger at Caleb. She continued before the Council or Caleb had a chance to speak. "He paid me too. He came to my door requesting a poison. I asked him the specifications of the poison and he ordered, and I quote," That is when she pulled out a piece of paper from her skirt pocket. "A poison that is odorless and flavorless, or it can be sweet and pleasant; just good enough so he won't think to spit it out. It should be potent, without a cure, and make him suffer. It should take effect immediately, but not kill him immediately. The tyrannical bastard killed my mother and deserves to suffer for his sins."

The room fell silent and Will felt like throwing up. She knew Caleb had ordered the poison, but she hadn't thought he would go this horrifyingly specific with what he wanted. He wanted the prince to suffer for as long as possible before dying.

"Nowhere in the list does it detail that the prince should become infatuated with Wilhelmina Vandom," Tibor stated flatly as if he caught Sophia in a trap. However, Sophia only smirked at the old man.

"Caleb asked for a poison without a cure, which reduces the pool of potential poisons. I considered the use of leigheas as a cure and chose the strongest poison, which is Sgaoileadh. It uses leigheas as a base and a sample of someone I see fit to be a boundee. I intended to use the blond girl as a boundee since she spoke her clear displeasure over the prince. However, I ended up having an easier time collecting a sample from Will when my pet bird scratched her- "

"SO THAT WAS THE BLOODY RAG!" Caleb interrupted in rage and made a movement towards Sophia intending to punch the woman, but Cornelia held him back. Sophia simply shrugged off Caleb's anger and continued with her explanation of the poison.

"As I said, his requests reduced the number of potential poisons. Sgaoileadh was the best choice and I used a sample from Will. The infatuation is a side effect of the poison. The intent was that the prince would suffer from pure agony unless in the presence of the boundee. Since Will considered him her enemy, she would have worked as a good boundee. The prince would have died within three months without the boundee's presence."

"So, unless Will is near him Prince Phobos suffers from agony and would eventually die?" asked Yan-Lyn for clarification.

"That was the intent of the poison, yes." Replied Sophia and returned to her friends Diana and Nana. "As for how Caleb administered the poison, you would have to ask my friend Nana."

Before Tibor could call Nana forth, the little cat-girl left the group on her own and stood beside Will; her hands in her pant-pockets and a grin on face. The Oracle smile back at Nana, amused by her stoic nature. Clearly, this isn't her first encounter with something beyond her power.

"Is what Sophia says true?" asked Tibor

"Yup and 'e c'eated me on t'e price of meh job and lied to me. Boy claimed it was a sleepin' potion for a heist. "e took me to t'e castle, where I used my hypnosis trick to distract t'e prince w'ile t'e boy poured t'e poison into t'e prince's wine. T'at is all I gotta say to t'is." With that, she returned to her friends, the smug grin still on her face. Exhausted by the enlightening details brought to attention in this trail, Hay-Lyn addressed Will.

"So, suffering by the poison's effects, Prince Phobos propose marriage to you?"

"Yes, but he was suffering from pain and sleep deprivation. I doubt he actually meant it and simply sought out my presence, I still don't know how he found me since I never gave him my location. Since he was delusional, I thought it best to keep him waiting for my answer and set up a place and time where I would give him my answer. I didn't have an answer but hoped that some decent rest would allow the prince to think clearly again. I informed my friends when I got to school but was held up helping Cornelia to the nurse's station. When I got to the park, where the meeting was supposed to take place, I found Phobos bleeding and near death. If it weren't for Diana, he would have died."

"May Diana please step forward and give their account of the events?" Ordered Tibor and Diana obeyed, stepping to stand next to Will where Sophia and Nana had stood previously. Unlike Nana and Sophia, Diana was nervous as she stood before the council members.

"What Will said is true. I discovered Will and an injured prince at the park and took them back to my home where I treated the man's injuries. I am the daughter of a nurse, so I am honor-bound to help anyone in need regardless of who they are. From the injuries I saw, the attacker surprised him from behind with a non-fatal stab. He was then stabbed in the chest; probably when the prince turned around to confront his attacker. There were defensive wounds on his hands where he might have grabbed hold of the blade in his chest. His fingers and palms of his hands were cut in a way that suggests so. He also had his throat cut, which I think was meant to kill him faster. In my honest, medical, opinion; the prince would have surely died if Will had arrived any later. The prince made a full recovery if you want to know."

At this information Caleb bared his teeth; he had hoped the prince had died. His guilt was clear at this point. Without being dismissed, Diana returned to her place beside Nana and Sophia, leaving Will standing alone. However, Will hadn't just been standing there idly; she had been listening and planning on what to say should she be asked how she pleads.

"Does anyone have anything else to say?" Tibor asked the group before returning his attention to Will. "Wilhelmina Vandom, would you ever consider Phobos's proposal?"

"What would it matter? Shouldn't it be my choice if I want to or not? I already offered the heart to him, but he refused it and- "

"YOU DID WHAT?" Cornelia yelped and glared pure anger at her former friend.

"Yes, I willingly offered the heart to him, but he refused to take it. I did it to test him and he passed my test!" She then returned her attention to the council members before her. "If I decide to marry him, it will be my choice and I don't care what anyone will have to say. I don't love him, but I don't hate him either and do not want him to suffer. I don't want anyone to suffer. If I could, I would take Phobos up on his offer to give up his throne in exchange for my hand in marriage and have Elyon taker her place as Queen. However, I doubt Elyon even wants to become Queen because she looks so happy here in Heatherfield. It would be cruel to take her family, home, and friends away from her. I can't stand this continuous suffering from all sides and I wish I knew how to fix everything, but I can't do it on my own. If marrying Phobos would fix everything, I would do it even if I would regret it for the rest of my life!" Will finally finished, completely out of breath. She meant every word she said but worried that her final words might have doomed her. Tibor's enraged expression certainly would have anyone think that way. Yan-Lyn simply stood beside the Oracle with her eyes closed and her head shaking. The Oracle, to everyone's surprise, simply smiled at the group; ready to give a verdict.


	20. Chapter 19 The Verdict

Will felt her stomach drop when she saw the Oracle's smile; the smile could mean anything from siding with her to find a perfect punishment. With the smile still on the Oracle's face, he spoke. "I have concluded that Wilhelmina Vandom hasn't committed any wrongdoing against Kandrakar and the Heart wasn't endangered. She should be allowed to make her own choice to marry the prince if she desires; however, once she makes a choice she must live with her decision."

Will was flabbergasted when she heard this and, clearly, no one had expected this. Caleb stood there, mouth agape, he couldn't believe what the Oracle had just said. Tibor looked at the Oracle as if it had lost his mind. Obviously, the Oracle had seen something in the potential future that eased his worries. Then the Oracle turned to Caleb, still smiling and said. "For the wellbeing of all involved, I have decided it is best for Caleb to be taken out of Meridian and moved to Earth. He is allowed to visit his friends and family but can't stay in Meridian for the safety of the royal family."

Then, he addressed the collective group. "As for the matter of Elyon and her position as heir to the throne. I have decided that she should be given the choice rather peruse her inheritance or not; her decision should be respected and, if she declines, her brother should remain in power."

Again, a silent gasp rang through the crowd and Caleb looked like he wanted to throw up at this point. To him, this was utter injustice; he couldn't believe the Oracle's judgment and wanted to argue his decision, but knew it was futile. The Oracle had made a judgment and it was to be followed. Will could hear her friends chatter quietly behind her and heard Cornelia trying to console a distraught Caleb; she wanted to feel bad for Caleb's punishment, but couldn't. He had gone behind her back and attempted to kill the prince twice; she couldn't make herself feel anything for the rebel boy.

The Oracle dismissed himself and the two remaining council members simply stared at each other, unsure of how to continue. Yan-Lyn rubbed her head; she secretly disagreed with eh Oracle but didn't argue his decisions. Tibor also angered by the Oracle's decision focused on the girls from the Inbetween. They had been spared, but he felt they deserved a minor punishment for their hand in this case. "As for you three- "

"We ain't stayin' fo' t'is." Nana interrupted and her two friends held onto the small cat-girl as Nana grabbed hold of her pendant. "Póg mo thóin old- 'imer."

With that, the three girls were gone in a wisp of smoke. From there, Will wasn't sure what happened. She was euphoric about the outcome of the trial. She remembered Irma and Hay-Lyn hugging her and Taranee trying to calm an angered Cornelia, who was fuming in rage. Will didn't even notice when they left Kandrakar and stood in the closed Silver Dragon; Cornelia and Caleb didn't stay long; angerly complaining about the injustice served. As they left, Cornelia tried to console Caleb and told him he could stay with her until they found a better home for him. Irma used the following silence to hug her friend again and congratulate her on her victory; however, Will could barely comprehend everything being said to her. She felt like running a marathon; she wanted to run back to the bookstore and tell Phobos that she was allowed to choose for herself without the fear of losing her position. However, she wasn't sure if he would still be there or if he had already returned to Meridian. Unsure of where to go, she couldn't return home because her mother was expecting her to stay the night at Hay-Lyn's, she asked her friend if she would spend the night on the sofa. Of course, Hay-Lyn and Yan-Lyn allowed it, simply relieved to have their friend safe and out of trouble.

It wasn't until Will lay in Hay-Lyn's living room with Taranee and Irma that she realized she had spent the entire Saturday in the Inbetween. As she was on the verge of sleep, she wondered to herself when she would see the prince again. She couldn't wait to tell him the good news.

XXXXX

In Meridian, the prince returned to his study; ordering a servant along the way to inform Lord Cedric of his return. As expected, the moment the prince sat down at his desk, Cedric appeared at the door; it was at that point that the prince was glad that Diana managed to clean and repair his clothes since the Lord would certainly have a stroke if he knew what had happened. "I have been informed of your return. Has the girl told you what poison was used on you and how to cure it?"

"I have spoken with the girl and there is no cure; however, there is a remedy to reduce the pain. How quickly can you arrange a wedding?" At this question, Cedric's mind blanked; had the prince gone completely mad?

"Pardon, I don't follow."

"I asked how quickly you can arrange a wedding?"

"Your highness plans on marrying?"

"Yes, I have proposed to the girl. She hasn't given me an answer yet, but I know I can convince her to agree. Now, how long would it take for you to organize a wedding?" The prince said as though asking for the weather.

"May I ask why you choose to wed someone who attempted to kill you?"

"She wasn't the one who committed the attempted assassination and she doesn't know who did it. Now, I will ask you one last time; how long will it take you to organize a wedding?" unsure of what was happening, Cedric had trouble finding his voice.

"I-I-I can have a formal wedding organized within one week once I know she agreed to it and I have a guest list." At this, the prince smiled in satisfaction and turned his attention to a pile of papers on his desk. Normal royalty work: diplomacies, contracts, and alliance requests. However, this moment of work was short lived when Cedric asked, "May I ask why you plan on wedding that girl?"

"Her name is Wilhelmina Vandom and the poison has bound me to her. When I am near her, the agony ebbs and I am able to live semi-normally. Sadly, this means I won't be able to take the heart from her, so our plans of conquest must be fulfilled taking a different approach. Diplomacies and alliances would last longer anyway." The Lord couldn't believe what he was hearing. The prince was giving up ultimate power and world conquest after spending two days with the girl. What has happened?

"What happened to you, your highness?" Cedric blurred out before he could stop himself.

"Pardon?" it was then that Cedric he knew he messed up. He had openly questioned the prince. "Nothing happened; I simply changed my approach to adapt to my condition. I won't take the heart because that would cause Will to attempt to flee. I can't risk that since I am bound to her. Besides, the heart will do me little good because it can't cure my condition. Any other questions you wish to ask?"

Cedric only shook his head and slowly backed away, knowing he had overstayed his welcome. "Then you are dismissed."

Cedric silently left the study, still questioning what had happened to the prince; however, he would refrain from asking any further questions. If the prince desired to wed the girl, then he would, and Cedric would try his best to comply with the prince's wishes. However, he wouldn't let the girl rule the castle as though it was hers'; he would keep an eye on her and, should she attempt anything, put her back in her place. He knew he couldn't threaten to kill her since that would bring too much attention onto him, but he would drop a hit here or there to keep the girl on her best behavior.

As the day dragged on in Meridian, the pain began to return to the prince's body; it started out as a simple stinging sensation and gradually became stronger as the day went on. Soon enough, he couldn't concentrate on his work. Thinking Will was still in Kandrakar, the prince chose to pace around his study to pass the time. He had to get her to agree to a marriage with him. Pacing around his study with a pile of unanswered papers, all the prince could think of was returning to Will; remembering their time in the Inbetween.

XXXXX

Will awoke two hours after falling asleep, still exhausted from the trial and lack of sleep. The moment her eyes opened, she knew she had to visit Elyon and inform her of the past days' events. Skipping breakfast, Will thanked her friends for their help and rushed out into the busy, weekend streets of Heatherfield. The day was bright, sunny, and warm; it was a perfect spring day; on days like this, Will would normally go to the coffee shop for an iced tea or the park. Friday's event spoiled the thought of going to the park for a while. As she walked through the busy streets, Will wondered what she would say to Elyon. The girl had been staying at home since the gang managed to rescue her from her own brother. She had been homeschooled and hadn't left the house at all. Her Earth parents felt it best to keep her at home and hidden, just in case Phobos sent a spy to find her. After a few minutes, Will found the Brown's house and knocked on the door. Elyon's mother opened.

"Oh, hello Will, what brings you here?" Miriadel greeted Will warmly yet scanned the immediate surrounding; she was clearly nervous about opening the door.

"Morning Mrs. Brown. May I see Elyon?" Will asked as if asking for Elyon to come out and play.

"Of course, of course. Please come in, Elyon is in the living room reading. Would you like anything to eat or drink?" Miriadel asked as she let Will enter and quickly shut the door behind the girl.

"I am fine, and I won't be long. I just have to tell Elyon some good news." Miriadel simply smiled at that and led Will into the living room. Elyon was sitting on a sofa reading a book; however, she wasn't emerged enough to miss Will. When the blond girl noticed her friend, a wide and warm smile spread across her face.

"Hi Will!"

"Hello Elyon," Will joined Elyon on the sofa and Miriadel excused herself to give the girls some privacy. "I have some important news."

"Is it about my brother?" her smile dropped, and she looked concerned. She was worried he had found her.

"Yes, but it is more than just your brother." At this, Elyon set her book aside and gave Will her full attention. "Your brother has been poisoned." Elyon let out a silent gasp; despite what had happened, she never wished him ill. "It isn't a poison that would immediately kill him, but it has caused him great pain. Now, this isn't a normal poison. It is a bonding poison that had bound him to someone; unless he is near then, he is in agony and it is incurable."

"Who would do that and who is my brother bound to?" Elyon asked before Will could further explain the situation.

"I will get to that in a minute." Will then cleared her throat. "The poison has bound your brother to me." Another silent gasp escaped Elyon's throat. "Now, I had a meeting with the council," Will leaned in for emphasis, "The Oracle was there," Elyon's eyes widened. "Now, your brother has proposed marriage to me, and the council has okayed it if I wanted to. In addition, the council decided it best for you to choose if you want to pursue the throne of Meridian. You don't have to if you do not want to."

Elyon's jaw almost hit the ground when she heard the news, taking advantage of the stunned girl's silence, Will finished her story. "I haven't decided if I want to marry your brother, but I think it best if you and your brother met on neutral ground to discuss your inheritance. I promise you, he won't try anything, and you are fully safe. He knows I would run and hide in a way he could never find me if he attempts anything. If I did that, he would die a slow and agonizing death; which he is trying to avoid with the marriage."

Elyon's grip on her book tightened and she stared at the ground; her mind trying to wrap itself around what she had just been told. Not only has her brother proposed marriage to one of her friends, but Kandrakar was giving her a choice whether or not she wanted to become queen. Still, the thought of facing her brother again, after her past experience with the man, had her more than scared. Then again, this might be the last time she would ever have to face him; after that last meeting, she could put all of this behind her and move on. Still, she wanted to test the waters before deciding on whether or not to meet with him. "Would he give up his throne if I decide to become queen?"

"He has told me he would give up his throne if it would make me marry him."

"And where would we meet? I don't want him to find out where exactly I live."

"I was planning on having you two meet at the Silver Dragon. That way, Yan-Lyn could keep an eye on him for extra protection. I thought of having the other guardians around. It would be him, weakened, against six guardians. He wouldn't dare try to attack you." Will tried to sound reassuring and Elyon nodded in understanding. The young princess took a deep breath and gathered her courage.

"Alright, I will meet you at the Silver Dragon. Just send me a text when you want me to meet him." Will hugged her friend, knowing how difficult that was for Elyon. The girls then spoke a bit about the absurdity of their situation. Will even got Elyon to laugh when she told her about Irma's question on parenthood and how many children, they planned on having. Elyon had to agree with her brother, "Neither one of you could survive 100."

Will left Elyon's house in a good mood, satisfied that she could establish a meeting between her and her brother as well as getting her to laugh. Happy with how the day had been going, she treated herself to an iced-tea and a cookie. Skipping breakfast had gotten to her. As she sat in a local café, Will wondered about the prince and his well-being; furthermore, she wondered about his proposal. She had thought of this while in the Inbetween. The thought of marrying him felt a little exciting, but she wasn't going to plunge herself in a loveless relationship; that felt too cold. As she had her tea, a plan formed for when she met with the prince again. The had passed quickly from there and soon, Will returned home once it began to get dark. As expected, her mother was still out with Dean, but Will didn't mind; she had her dinner, finished her homework, and got herself ready for bed. As she changed into her pajamas, she wondered how she would contact the prince and inform him of the outcome of the trial. In addition, she was worried about his condition, surely, he was in pain right now. However, when she opened to door to her bedroom, she found the prince sitting on her bed, waiting for her. Will couldn't help herself from smiling and rushing over to him to give him a tight hug; of course, he would find her when he knew where she lived.

"I guess the trial went well?"

"Yes, it went very well. The Oracle decided it was best to let me decide if I want to marry you or not. Furthermore, your sister is given a choice if she wants to be a queen or not. How has your day been? I hope you weren't in too much pain." His only response was an amused chuckled and he wrapped his arms a little tighter around her. "Also, you don't have to worry about the assassin; he won't be able to bother you, or anyone for that matter, anymore. He has been exiled from Meridian."

"Well, at least they won't attempt to stab me again. They might succeed a third time around." He attempted to joke and pulled her onto the bed, attempting to kiss her. However, Will remembered how he had stopped her attempt. She also realized she hadn't given him an answer to his proposal and realized he was trying to use his charm on her. With a smirk, she gently pushed him away.

"You are not as charming as you think."

"You think I am charming?" He smirked.

"I see you are still suffering from selective hearing. I guess Diana can't heal everything. I know you are just trying to get me to say yes."

"Well, what would it take for you to say yes to me?" he again attempted to kiss her, but she blocked him again.

"I want to know what you really feel about me, and you better tell me the honest truth, or you will never hear an answer out of me."

"So, if I tell you how I honestly feel about you, you will give me an honest answer to my proposal?" Will simply nodded at him. With a smile, the prince rested his head on her shoulder and said, "Deal."


	21. Chapter 20 The Answer

Will woke-up the next morning to her alarm clock ringing like mad. She still felt tired but knew she couldn't skip school. It took her more effort than normal to reach her alarm clock as the prince had fallen asleep with his arms wrapped around her; as usual, he slept like a rock and didn't budge when the alarm went off. She felt a slight kink in her back where she had slept on his arm and she was sure that limb had lost all feeling long ago. It wasn't until she tried to wrangle free from him that the prince woke up. "Oh, so a bomb can go off beside you and you wouldn't budge, but me trying to get to school wakes you?"

"Do you really have to go to school already?" he was still half asleep. Just like Will, he was under sleep debt from the lack of sleep from the previous night.

"Sorry, I don't have a kingdom to run. However, if I don't get to school my mother will chew me out for it." The prince accepted that and allowed her to slip out from his arms.

"I dare you to wear something red today." He said, half to her and half into the pillow.

"Huh?"

"I dare you to wear something red." That is when Will remembered their conversation from the Inbetween.

"Alright, then I dare you to wear something turquoise today." The prince simply nodded, still trying to wake up. "Remember, my school lets out at-."

"I will see you at your school gate when it lets out."

"Do you even know where my school is?" she asked as she opened her closet and pulled out a dress she had gotten a while ago and never thought she would wear. It was a red, knee-length dress, red dress where one side had been pinned up to reveal a bit of tight. It wasn't anything too revealing, but it was more feminine than the usual things she wore. If she matched it with white sandals and a vest, it would be more than appropriate for school.

"I found my way to the park, I will be able to find my way to your school." Replied Phobos and propped himself up on his elbow while trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. Before he had a chance to see the cloths Will had pulled out from her closet, she folded the dress over her arm. With a smile, she gave him a kiss on the forehead and rushed out of the room to get ready.

In the bathroom, Will attempted to tame her hair but it had a will of its' own, so she focused on the rest of her. The dress fit like a glove and so did the vest and sandals; however, she felt that something was missing. Trying to be sneaky, she decided to "borrow" a dap of her mother's strawberry-colored lip-gloss. She wasn't going to experiment with make-up too much since she was already taking longer than expected after the fight with her hair.

When she entered the kitchen for a quick breakfast, her mother was there sitting at the kitchen table nursing a slight hangover. She and Dean had gone to a wine vineyard over the weekend and had dipped too deep into the wine. When she saw her daughter in her bright red dress, her eyes widened. "Ooh Lala, what is the occasion?"

"Huh?" Will's mind was still on her hair, so it took her a moment to realize what her mother was talking about. "Oh, the dress? Nothing special."

"Yeah right, so who is he or are you just trying to get Matt jealous." Then she leaned in with a mischievous grin, "or is it both?"

Embarrassed by her mother trying to act like a teenager, Will's face turned red. "M-Mom. I am not trying to make anyone jealous and they guy I am trying to-."

"So, who is he?"

"Mom, can I tell you later? I need to get to school." Susan then looked up at the kitchen clock and let her daughter go, knowing she could continue questioning her daughter in the evening.

At school, Will met up with her friends except for Cornelia, who simply glared daggers at the group. When Irma saw the dress, her eyes lit up. "Oh, look who is coming. Something tells me you are planning on seeing a certain someone after school."

Hay-Lyn and Taranee shook their heads from their friend's embarrassing statement and Will simply shook her head. "Yes, I am meeting him after school, but I am doing more than that. I managed to convince Elyon to meet up with her brother at the Silver Dragon to discuss the matter of her royal status. I was going to talk with Hay-Lyn to set up a date. As for the dress, he dared me to wear something red. In turn, I dared him to wear something turquoise."

"So, you are daring each other now?" Taranee asked, chuckling under her breath at the absurd thought.

"Hey, I am not about to lose a bet to that guy." Was Will's humorous quip. Then their regular school day began. Of course, whenever she had a class with any of her friends, they would ask her questions via paper slips. The only one who didn't partake in this practice was Cornelia. Will felt crushed that her friend had this little faith in her but knew part of that anger was coming from Caleb, so she didn't fault Cornelia too much; if anything, she hoped to patch things up with the nature witch.

We can arrange a meeting for after school, but I want my grandmother to be there for extra support. – Hay-Lyn.

That was the plan and thank you for helping with the meeting – Will.

Then came Taranee in Algebra.

Are you sure you want to marry that guy? I know you don't want him to suffer, but are you sure this is the best way? – Taranee.

I know you are just worried, but please trust me on this. – Will.

In Biology, Irma made a request rather than a question.

When you have kids, I call dibs on babysitting. – Irma.

The day went on like this until the seminar, which the entire group shared, and the friends crowded around Will discussing the upcoming meeting. Hay-Lyn had called her grandmother between classes and arranged the meeting; she managed to reserve a booth in the corner. Irma had called Elyon and confirmed the appointment. As Hay-Lyn and Irma discussed the meeting after school, Taranee leaned in closer and asked, "So, what is your answer to his proposal or are you still thinking about it?"

At this, Will's cheeks turned pink and the previous night's events flashed back into mind. Nothing had really happened, but she knew she couldn't keep it a secret for long; with a shaking hand, she pulled a small silver ring from the pocket of her vest and slipped it onto her finger. It was a simple silver band with fine vines carved into it. In a hushed voice, she replied, "I didn't want Irma to start dancing in the hallway. He asked me again and I said yes."

It was clear that Taranee wanted to scream with joy and hug her friend but had to restrain herself. She didn't like the prince but knew that, with him, she would be taken care of. "Good call with Irma."

However, they weren't quite enough, as Cornelia rushed past them in a huff; stopping only long enough to lean down and whisper to Will. "You are going to regret your decision." Before walking out of the room. Will was crushed at the realization that she and Cornelia would never be friends again. Still, she knew Cornelia was carrying half of Caleb's anger, so she said nothing. Taranee only shook her head at Cornelia, muttering how she had been this way since Friday, and everyone was getting tired of her attitude. They could understand the anger, but this was getting annoying. Taranee then filled Will in on a phone call Hay-Lyn received on Sunday when Will had left. Apparently, Cornelia had called to rant on how the Oracles decision was unfair and that Will, along with the prince, should be locked up. She also tried to get the girls to kick Will out of the friends' group and elect her as the new leader. Hay-Lyn had set the phone on speaker so the entire group could hear. Needless to say, everyone including Yan-Lyn was disappointed in her behavior. This wasn't just angry, this was toxic and none of them wanted to hear any more of it.

Soon, the bell rang the end of the day and Will was surprised to See the prince waiting at the edge of the school grounds. Again, he had the illusion spell working, however, it didn't fool her or her friends. Just like she had dared him, he was wearing a turquoise shirt and tan-colored pants. She laughed to herself as she realized how he looked like he was going to play golf. However, Matt, who hadn't noticed the man at the school gates, approached Will and grabbed her wrist. He looked a mess; he hadn't slept since the day at the park and was clearly traumatized by what Caleb had convinced him to do. "Will, I need to talk to you. I did something horrible on Friday. I helped Caleb stab Phobos and- "

Matt didn't manage to finish before the prince walked up, stood behind Will, and placed an arm around her. Internally, he wanted to break the boy's arm for touching his fiancé but knew he couldn't do that here, so he took a different approach. "How was your school day Wilhelmina?" Then he turned his attention to Matt. "Is this one of your friends?"

Matt let go of Will's wrist and stared at Phobos in utter horror; despite the illusion spell, he knew who was standing before him. The last time he saw the prince, he was covered in blood and near death; how was it possible he was still alive? Will was too stunned by what she had just heard to reply right away. In a shaky voice, Matt asked. "You are still alive?"

"Yes, I am still alive. Now, the only one who would ask this is Will's friends and the assassins. I apologize, but my memory of that day is a bit hazy, are you the one who stabbed me in the back?" At this, Will finally reacted to what Matt had told her.

"YOU DID WHAT?" Matt shrank back a bit at her sudden outburst. Phobos too took a small step back; it finally dawned on him who he was engaged to. He wasn't just engaged to his former enemy but to a woman who would tear anyone to shreds who dared mess with her friends and family without hiding it or hesitating. This marriage was going to be very interesting. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT? WHO THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE HELPING?"

"I-I thought I was helping you…I didn't want you to marry- "

"You did not want me to marry him in the off chance I would get back together with you?" she had lowered her shouting in order not to cause a scene, but her voice was still loud, and Matt shrank back even more.

"I- "she wouldn't let him finish.

"Just leave before I forget myself. I never want to see you ever again." She then rubbed her head; it was beginning to hurt. "I never want to see you ever again and if you ever dare to get near me or my fiancé, I will rip your throat out and make you eat it." It was then that the other three girls exited the school, they got caught up helping Hay-Lyn with her backpack and had caught part of the argument.

"Matt, I already told you the ship has sailed. Win land before I make you walk the plank you scallywag!" Irma called from the top of the entrance steps. Matt looked between Will and the other girls before running off. He knew he couldn't win this argument and he knew Will would never forgive him; he had lost her and there was no going back. Once Matt was out the school gates, Irma practically jumped down the last two steps and rushed to hug her friend. Trying to keep her voice low she cheered, "I knew you would say yes. So, when is the wedding and are we allowed to attend?"

Will silently cursed under her breath, she knew Irma would be ecstatic and didn't want Irma to hop around like a child jacked-up on pixie sticks. "Irma calm down. I am engaged for less than 24 hours and don't even know who all is invited."

After giving her friend a tight hug, Irma approached the prince and hugged him as though they had been friends for years. This caught the prince off guard and he simply looked at Will, wondering what he should do or how to react. Will simply shook her head at her friend's silly actions. This was more an awkward for everyone except Irma, who finally let go of the prince and began rapid-fire asking questions. "So, are we invited? Have you two planned a summer, fall, winter, or spring wedding? Does Will's mother know or were you two going to surprise her? Is Elyon invited? It would be rude not to invite immediate family even if you haven't seen her since she was a baby. Is Will going to shop for a dress or are you hiring someone to make one for her? How long are you guys going to stay engaged before the marriage? I hope not too long."

The prince simply stared at the girl, mentally going to blue-screen. Nothing could have prepared him for this, and Will simply laughed as her other friends hugged and congratulated her. Finally, after a long moment, the prince caught his voice. "I have to agree with Wilhelmina, we have been engaged for less than a day. We haven't exactly had any time to discuss anything."

Irma's shoulders slouched when she realized she was going to get as much out of him as her friend; absolutely nothing. Luckily, Taranee put an arm around her friend's shoulders, attempting to cheer her up. "Irma, they just got engaged and probably haven't had the time to think of all that stuff. Give them a little time to think; I am sure Will would tell you the moment she has things sorted out. Besides, she probably still needs to tell her mother about the news."

Irma could accept that, but still wanted to argue the point, "She didn't tell us she was engaged this morning."

"Given how you reacted, I am surprised she even mentioned it at all." Hay-Lyn joked, and Irma turned red as her actions finally dawned on her.


	22. Chapter 21 The Meeting

At the Silver Dragon, the group got a corner booth reserved and Will made sure her new fiancé was seated in the corner where a quick escape would be impossible. Phobos knew what her intentions were and played along; it was better if he remained docile around his sister. After all, Will could still deny the marriage. The group sat in silence as they waited for Elyon to arrive and the quiet began to nag at Will's already fried nerves. Thankfully, before Will's mind could wonder, Irma interrupted with a question. "So, what was that argument between you and Matt all about?"

Will was unsure of how to answer that. They already knew about Caleb's involvement in their predicament, but no one knew of Matt's. Though she was appalled by his actions, she didn't want him to be hated for the rest of his life by the rest. She knew he only meant well, and that Caleb probably persuades him to stab Phobos. As if he could read her mind without touching her, the prince answered for Will. "He asked her to take him back and he was distraught to discover her engagement."

"Of course," Irma sighed in exasperation. "If he didn't want her to find someone else, she shouldn't have broken her heart. Just know, should you ever break Will's heart I will come after you and hurt you."

"I wouldn't dream of such a thing." Replied the prince with his hands up in the universal sign of 'no worries'.

"I have a question." Added Taranee. "If Elyon doesn't want to be queen, would you make Will your Queen?"

"Of course, that is if she wants the title. A king can be married to a princess, but a princess would have to be crowned queen. Same with me. If you haven't noticed; the king is gone, yet I haven't automatically inherited the title of king. I believe Earth has a similar custom if I am not mistaken."

"So, what if Elyon decides to become Queen?" Hay-Lyn added.

"I am unsure in that situation. I could ask to keep my title as prince and retire to the backcountry."

"It is very simple Hay-Lyn. If Elyon becomes queen, then Will and Phobos will travel around the world and go on amazing adventures that they would write to us about. Who knows, in a few years from now, we will hear of them in Cairo where they will have barely escaped a mummy's curse!" For a moment, the group simply stared at Irma, unsure of what to say.

"Irma, do you lose sleep at night coming up with these crazy ideas?" asked Taranee, clearly thinking her friend had completely lost her mind. Will and Phobos silently looked at each other, unsure of what to say to Irma's story.

"Is this normal with your friends?"

"Normal? There is no such thing here. If Irma always has something funny to say? Yep, that is a given." Was Will's reply.

The group's chatter and laughter got interrupted by the door chime, signaling someone had entered the vicinity. Looking away from the groups, Will saw Elyon at the entrance, looking at the group with an unsure expression on her face. Will couldn't help but compare Elyon to a scared deer forced to confront a wolf. Irma, on the other hand, waved Elyon over as if nothing was amiss. Elyon returned the gesture and hesitantly approached the table. There was a chair opposite her brother, squeezed between Taranee and Irma.

Hesitantly, Elyon took her seat and stared at her brother, the man that manipulated her mind to hate her friends, drained part of her powers, and imprisoned her in a tower before she could be rescued. Sitting before her brother, Elyon shivered with fear to the point she was unable to speak. Seeing this, her brother took the first step to break the ice. "Hello Elyon, how have you been?"

"Alright…I guess."

"I know this is awkward and uncomfortable for you, but it is important that we have this meeting. I heard Will informed you as to the reason for this conference and I hope you had enough time to come to a conclusion." He continued and folded his hands on the table to show his sister that he had nothing in hand to hurt her with.

"I…I think I have come to an answer." Said Elyon, fidgeting with her thumbs before noticing the silver band on Will's hand. At that, Elyon couldn't help but smile. "So, you two are getting married?"

"Elyon, don't try to change the subject- "

"I am not, I just not noticed the ring. Since I am your sister, would that make Will me sister-in-law when you two marry?"

"I suppose so, but we can return to that subject later. It is very important that you answer the question this conference is subject to." Was her brother's response. Elyon shrank back a bit, even though he hadn't raised his voice against her.

"First, I want to know what you would do if I chose to become queen." Asked Elyon with her eyes focused on the table, unable to look into her brother's cold, blue eyes.

"I am unsure of where to go in that situation. However, according to your friend," he gestures to Irma, "Will and I would go on adventures around the world and find ourselves in Cairo after escaping a curse. Personally, I would prefer keeping away from the vicinity of curses and cursed objects." At this, Elyon couldn't help but chuckle, which lifted the mood of the entire group.

"What about my friend and family here on Earth? Would I be allowed to visit them?"

"I suppose you may, however, your main residence would be in Meridian, and you would have to perform the tasks of a royal rather you are here or in Meridian. Even now, when it may seem I am at rest, I am evaluating diplomacies and other important contracts." He explained in a calm voice; as a teacher would use to explain a difficult equation.

"Am I allowed to change my mind?"

"I can allow you to claim the rights to the throne later, even if you refuse it now. However, should you choose to become queen you must remain queen. The regime change would cause too much damage to repair. I am not trying to intimidate you, but I must be brutally honest with you about this matter." Elyon simply nodded in understanding as she reevaluated her options.

"Would you be angry with my decision?"

"I can't fault you for your choices. However, no matter your decision I would like to be permitted to marry Wilhelmina should she want to." Again, Elyon nodded in understanding finally coming to a decision.

"In that case, I don't want to become queen." At this, the group fell silent in surprise. They were all sure she would choose the crown, especially since she asked so many questions around the subject of Queenwood. Himself surprised of her answer, Phobos remain silent, waiting for her explanation. Elyon noticed this and tried to give him an innocent smile. "I don't think I would be a good ruler."

"You could be taught. I, myself, had to be trained."

"I can't even get through Algebra without extra tutoring and the occasional cheating. How am I supposed to learn ruling an entire kingdom? I barely manage to remember what you taught me when I arrived in Meridian. I can't even read or comprehend their literature, how am I supposed to comprehend complex contracts? Even with retainers to help me, how am I supposed to know that I can trust them? It all just feels too risky for me. Besides, I would miss my parents too much. I know they aren't my birth parents, but they are the only family I know, and I can't leave them behind."

This explanation, Phobos could accept and he simply nodded in understanding. Attempting to lightened to mood, he smiled at his sister and said. "If Will decides to go through with the marriage, I guess you can consider her your sister-in-law." At this Elyon looked up and beamed with a smile that could melt any ice. Will couldn't help but blush a little, unsure if she should inform the siblings that her decision is final according to the order of the Oracle. She was surprised that her friends weren't clarifying this for her.

"Don't ask about kids now Elyon," Irma interrupted and playfully elbowed her friend in the side. "I already called dibs on babysitting."

"That isn't fair! I would be their aunt; shouldn't they ask me first?" Elyon complained and folded her arms in protest. No one thought to ask the engaged couple on this matter. With the matter of rulership settled, the group began to fall apart. Taranee had to return home and help with dinner; Elyon had to return home, she had snuck out of the house while her parents were grocery shopping and wanted to return before her parents would notice her absence; lastly, Irma had to return home since her parents had planned a fancy dinner at a restaurant. Will thanked Hay-Lyn before taking Phobos by the arm and headed home, the meeting couldn't have gone better in her opinion. The prince could keep his throne and Elyon could keep her family with the possibility of becoming queen sometime in the future. When they were outside of Will's home, the prince offered her a gentle hug and explained that he would return at night, as usual, but had to return to Meridian for work. Will, taking the opportunity of the hug, she grabbed his head and forced a kiss on him which fully caught him by surprise. She simply wanted to see him surprised and flustered.

When she entered her house, her mother was waiting for her with a grin. "So, who is he? He seems a bit old for you."

"His name is Philip and he is 16," Will lied and hoped her mother would believe it. "He goes to my school and I have known him for a while but haven't really been interested in him until now. I know he seems older and, kind of, cold but once you get to know him he is a lot of fun to be around."

"Well, if he makes you happy I will allow it. Will I get a chance to meet him or are you going to pretend it is a secret relationship."

"That is what I wanted to ask you. Can we have dinner with him tomorrow? I want you two to meet since he means a lot to me."

"Of course, I'll make a casserole for all of us."

"Oh, and can I invite one more friend? She can vouch for him if he seems to sketchy for you."

"Alright, the more the merrier."

Will smiled and hugged her mother before going to her room to complete her book report before spring break. Soon enough it was night and when Will returned to her room from dinner and a bath to find the prince waiting for her. With a smile, she sat on the bed next to him and hugged him. "I have arranged a meeting between you and my mother so we can tell her about the engagement. Luckily, she hadn't seen the ring, I wouldn't know how to explain it to her."

"Why not be truthful with her?"

"How am I supposed to explain that her 14-year old daughter is engaged to an alien prince from another world?"

"You might have a point. Anything else I must know before tomorrow or should I simply bring a bottle of wine for the occasion?"

"You don't have to bring anything, but I will also invite Diana to vouch for your character. I thought it best to invite someone my mother doesn't know since she might think my friends would lie to make me happy."

"Sounds like a plan."

With that, they lay down for the night; however, the moment the lights were turned off, the prince placed his hands on her hip and pulled her close to him. Will immediately knew there was something different about the way he held her now compared to the previous nights. On instinct, she put her hands against his chest and tried to push herself free from his grip. Before she could say anything, he pressed his lips against hers' and his hands moved to grab her buttocks. Unsure of how to escape without alerting her mother, Will slapped him. In a hushed voice, she hissed, "What were you doing?"

"Another man is allowed to touch you, but I as your fiancé am not?" he replied with a playful grin while rubbing his cheek that she had slapped. He was testing his fiancé and hoped she wasn't catching on.

"Matt has never touched me you idiot and I don't want you to touch me either." Still shocked by his action, she moved a bit away from him.

"So, you do not want me to touch you?" he asked for clarification.

"Exactly."

"Alright madam, have it your way." With that, he lay on his back and closed his eyes with his hands folded on his chest. Will simply blinked at him, unsure of what to do. He had grabbed at her, then completely given up when she told him so. Still feeling uneasy, she closed her eyes and fell asleep herself; however, she woke-up three hours later at 3:00 am feeling cold despite the blanket. With a sigh, she realized that she had forgotten to close her bedroom window and now, she was cold. Biting her tongue, she moved closer to the prince and placed her arms around him for warmth. Of course, the prince opened his eyes and stared at her.

"I am cold." Was her explanation and she wasn't ashamed to admit it.

"I am not bothered by an ice-woman lying beside me."

"Could you please hold me? You are nice and warm."

"Earlier, you told me not to touch you; now you want me to hold you. How am I supposed to hold you without touching you?"

"That is not what I meant when I said not to touch me." She shifted, unsure of how to explain her command. "I don't want you to touch me the way you did…well, at least until we are married."

"Then why didn't you say so?" he turned onto his side and wrapped his arms around her. Immediately, Will could feel her face get warm from blushing. "I only wanted to see what my fiancé would allow me to get away with."

"And you couldn't have said so?"

"I found the method I chose more humorous." He replied with a silent chuckle.

"You are a dork, you know that?" she muttered into his chest and began to drift to sleep again as she started to feel warm.

"If you say so, madam." He replied as he drifted off to sleep himself.


	23. Chapter 22 The Invitation

The next morning, Will woke-up 5 minutes before her alarm rang with her back turned towards the prince and his arms wrapped around her. As her eyes opened, they landed upon the silver ring on her finger; immediately, the previous night's events rang through her mind and she began to question her decision. At the time, it seemed like the best decision and her heart did bound like a wild horse, but why? What on Earth made her think this was a good decision? Sure, the Oracle had given her to freedom of choice, but she could have said 'no'. Then again, it would be awkward to follow the prince around everywhere and no have some form of relationship with him. Additionally, after she had the chance to get to know him, he was fun to be around. It also helped that he was a very handsome man, he was great at kissing, and he was the best bed-bottle. Plus, when he had an arm around her, he was as comforting as a weighted blanket. However, that didn't change the fact that she didn't know how to feel about him. Less than a week ago, they were trying to kill each other and now they shared a bed. Thinking back, she did feel immense sorrow when she found him in the gazebo but was it the sorrow of losing a love? She was sure some part of her loved some part of him; however, was the part enough to warrant marriage? Thinking clearly for a moment, she didn't really want to go through with the wedding; however, because of the Oracle's verdict and her impulsive decision, she couldn't break off the engagement now.

Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she heard the prince behind her mutter something under his breath. Will panicked as the idea crossed her mind that he might have read her thoughts. Her back froze as she felt the prince shift, clearly awake now, and move to pin her to the bed. "So that is how you feel about me."

"Huh…Wait, you were reading my thoughts?"

"It is when people first awake that their minds can't forge a lie. You really shouldn't make impulsive decisions if you are going to regret them the next day." He replied and took hold of her wrists. When he did, Will feared that he might attempt to take the ring from her finger, so she formed a fist. The prince looked at her in confusion before getting off the bed. Before he could go too far, Will sat up.

"The dinner is tonight at 6:00 pm, you are going to come, right?"

"I said I would, now you should get ready for school." With that, he left her room and Will was alone until her alarm rang.

On her way to school, she couldn't help but feel the regret forming in her stomach. She knew what she was getting into when she agreed to his proposal, why did she question herself now when it was too late? Luckily, she didn't have to immediately face her friends in front of the school. If she had, they would have seen her sour expression and asked endless questions. However, she came across Taranee in biology, who informed Will as to why most of the group was missing; apparently, Irma ate a spoiled oyster at the fancy restaurant, Hay-Lyn was in the library making up an Algebra exam, and Cornelia was avoiding the whole group since the toxic phone call after the trial. It didn't take long for her to notice Will's mood and at lunchtime, Taranee confronted her.

"Is everything alright? You look so sad today."

"I think I messed up."

"What did you do? Did you tell your mom about your new fiancé?"

"No, I planned on telling her this evening. I messed up with Phobos. I thought about regretting accepting the proposal and he heard my thoughts. I think I broke his heart."

"Wait, he read your thoughts?" then she let the rest of the sentence sink in, "You think you broke his heart? I didn't even know he loved you. I thought you two were just getting marries because it was the easiest way for you to stay by his side and keep an eye on him. You know, an open marriage; more like you being a parole officer. I didn't know you two were discussing a romantic relationship."

"He had kissed me, you knew of this."

"I thought he did that because he lost his mind from the poison. Are you sure you even want to go through with his marriage thing? I am sure the council can convince the Oracle to appeal his verdict."

"That is just it. I don't know what I want. I wanted to go to the Inbetween and invite Diana over to the dinner for moral support. She always seems to know what to do and say."

"Then why don't we go right now? We have plenty of time." Said Taranee and stood-up from the table with a smile on her face. "Besides, maybe she can help you make up your mind."

At this, Will felt moved to tears, "Taranee, thank you for being so supportive of me."

"Why wouldn't I support you?" Taranee raised an eyebrow at Will, "You are our leader and have never steered us wrong before. However, you are only human and need help. It would be cruel to expect you to do everything right all the time. Besides, I am not Cornelia; if you need help, I will try my best."

Walking arm in arm, like friends that had known each other since early childhood, the two made their way to the back of the school to the Inbetween. For a moment, the girls couldn't find the portal and it worried Will; she wondered if the girls had closed the portal since the outcome of the trial. Thankfully, the portal was still there, it was simply well hidden. Again, they stood before the old Victorian door, however, the girls hesitated to knock when they heard shouting coming from inside. They couldn't understand what was being said, but they recognized the voices; one belonged to Diana, one to Sophia, and the last belonged to Caleb. From what they could hear Diana was repeating a command while Caleb and Sophia were exchanging choice words; Will didn't need to hear the conversation to know what it was about. Fueled with anger at hearing Caleb's voice, Will pounded on the door; luckily, Diana opened to door within seconds despite the commotion.

"Will, Taranee, thank the stars you two are here; could you ask your friend to leave? He is harassing Sophia over his purchase." Diana sounded exasperated and pointed down the hallway where Caleb and Sophia stood shouting at each other.

"I'll handle this," Will replied in a cold tone and walked past Diana and approached the arguing pare. In a hissed whisper, she addressed her former friend, "Caleb, what the hell are you doing here?"

Caleb, snapping out of the argument with Sophia stared at Will, for a moment, like a deer in the headlights. "Will, you are here? You can't marry that monster. Why did you agree to it? He is trying to use you, I just know it."

"Zip it, Caleb. The Oracle gave me the freedom of choice and you better respect that. Now leave."

"Will, it is all that woman's fault!" Caleb pointed at Sophia, "If it weren't for her product, we wouldn't be in this mess now."

"You should have asked for the side effects, you idiot!" Sophia interrupted with her hands on her hips.

"Sophia is right, Caleb. She gave you exactly what you asked for and you took it. It isn't her fault, but yours. Why did you do it?"

"I thought I was helping you and the girls; it seemed so easy!"

"Well, now I am engaged to the prince. So, leave."

"Will, please reconsider…"

"What is there to reconsider? I am engaged to him."

"But you don't love him," seeing that Will kept her arms crossed, Caleb ran out of arguments. "Will, you can't marry him…I…I love you."

Will simply stared at him, unable to process what she just heard. Did she just tell her that he loved her? Where did that come from? "What?"

"Will, I love you. I have loved you from the moment we met. I just dated Cornelia because I thought you only saw me as a friend, and I didn't want to risk ruining our friendship. Please Will, you can't marry a man you don't love."

"Caleb, I don't love you. You are my friend's boyfriend. I could never see you as a lover. Now leave." Staring at him like she had grown a second head, Will points him to the door. When he didn't budge, Will stomped her foot and kept her finger pointed at the door. "I said leave!"

Caleb shrank back at Will's tone of voice and did as he was told, never looking back as he left. Taranee and Diana simply stared at Will while Sophia huffed back to her room. Clearly, it wasn't her first encounter with an unsatisfied customer. With a sigh, Diana led Taranee and Will to the kitchen where she made the girls hot water for tea. "Thank you two for coming here and defusing the situation. I told him to leave but he ignored my command."

"No problem, we came here because Will wanted to tell you something." Replied Taranee as she picked a tea bud for her hot water.

"Oh, how can I help you?" Diana asked Will and offered her a bud for her hot water after Taranee picked hers. Taranee's water turned a bright fuchsia pink.

"I wanted to invite you to a dinner tonight at 6:00 pm at my house. I plan on revealing my engagement to my mother; Phobos will be there but I wanted a second guest as an impartial judge on his behalf. "

"Sure, where do you live and what do you want me to say?" asked Diana as she sat down to enjoy her own cup of tea.

"That isn't what I had planned, and I wanted to pick you up after my school ended. At dinner, I wanted you to explain to my mother how he isn't a monster. Surely she would think that, with me being 14 and all."

"What is so wrong with being 14 to get married?"

"what do you mean? Will is basically a child!" Taranee explained almost choking on her tea.

"Is that the way your culture sees women after their menarche?" Diana then turned to Will, "You did have that, didn't you?"

Will blushed and stammered as she kept her eyes down at her tea, "Well…I…yeah, I have, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, then you are a woman, so why not marry a man?"

"Because she is underage," Taranee explained again and reached to pat Will's hand for comfort.

"Oh, is that so, then what is the legal age in your culture?" Diana asked with a raised brow.

"By us, the legal age is 18. That is when a child is considered an adult and eligible for marriage." Again, Taranee explain. Both girls were intrigued by Diana's questions; wasn't 18 the legal age all around the world and others as well?

"Wow, so you must have a long life expectancy to wait until you are 18 to marry and have kids."

"Huh, what do you mean?" asked Will as she remembered Phobos telling her of his mother's age when she married.

"Simple, where I am from the legal age of a woman to marry is 12 which is when she usually has her menarche. Then again, the oldest member of my village was my grandmother at 39. I was supposed to get married last year, but then the bombs dropped and the guy I was intended to marry got killed. He was already a cripple from the war, but I didn't mind his limp."

"Wow, you were engaged too?" Will asked. In all the time she had spent at the Inbetween she had never learned this of her friend. Then again, they didn't talk much since Will found out about Diana's loss.

"Yeah, I met him when I was 11 and he was 19. It was within the 10-year age gap and he was from a well-off family. His family owned the undertaker business so my skills I learned at the hospital would work well. He went to war at 15 and stepped on a mine. It was a weak one and wrecked his foot, but I saw beyond that. He had the kindest green eyes and handsome laugh. I remember how his mustache wiggled whenever he laughed. I was genuinely looking forward to the wedding. My twin sister Elena wanted to remain a spinster since mother and she couldn't agree on a man." Diana took a break to look at the two girls in front of her, both were absorbed in her story. "But, back on topic. Where I am from, there is a legal age gap of 10 years. Because of the war, most men die early on in life. My mother got married at 12, had my sister and I at 13, and was a widow at 14; I can't say about my father's age since I never met the guy and the only photo of him was made at his wedding; it isn't even a good photo of him. My mother died at 24, again people don't get that old where I live. Furthermore, because of the war, women are encouraged to have several children. There were attempts to stop the war, but at this point, the economy is too tied to the bloodshed to stop. It is sad but true."

"Wow your folks marry young, but at least you have an excuse." Taranee sighed trying to lighten the mood. She had learned of other reasons why people married early, but this was one of the most extreme reasons.

"I guess you could say that with men dying in their late teens to early twenties and women dying in their mid-thirties. I am guessing most of your kind die in their late seventies to mid-nineties since you wait until 18 to marry and have kids?"

"You are right, we turn into old biddies in our world." Replied Will, at this the three had a laugh; this conversation felt so ridiculous. Will couldn't help but laugh, how could she think that every world was like hers? Obviously, each world had different conditions and rules. If Diana's world was this riddled with war, naturally the life expectancy was short. This would explain a younger marriage age. This got her to wondering why the age was so low in Meridian. Could it also be due to war? Then again, their life expectancy must be higher then that of Diana's world if the queen could wait for a minimum of 7 years between having her second child.


	24. Chapter 23 The Dinner

In Meridian, the prince worked in his study on another batch of contracts and letters to allied kingdoms. Of the five kingdoms, he was allied with, the one to the east was giving him troubles; Morovia demanded land that rightfully belonged to the southern kingdom of Ero. However, Morovia wasn't the main thing on his mind. What he heard in his fiancé's mind had made him think as to the functionality of their relationship. He thought about canceling the engagement but wondered how he could keep her close if he did. It had only been 6 hours since he left her side and he, already, felt the stinging sensation grow in his chest. He knew there was no cure, but he wondered how long he could endure this torture before having to give in. He knew from getting stabbed, that pain was comparable. The sensation he was suffering from now was more bearable than having his throat cut; however, the cut throat was more bearable than the initial pain from when he was first poisoned. Perhaps he could train himself to endure the pain for several days; he was still going to attend the dinner with Will and her mother since they were still engaged. However, he wasn't going to spend every waking hour with her as he had in the Inbetween, nor was he going to show much affection until she had made up her mind. If she chose to revoke the engagement, he would allow it and find another way to stay near her. He wasn't going to force both of them into an unhappy marriage if he could train himself to endure the pain; perhaps he could manage seeing her once a week.

XXXXX

The girls laughed and chatted a bit before the awkward silence returned; Will noted how often that seemed to happen lately. Luckily, Diana was artisan on killing it, "So, that other guy confessed his feelings for you?"

"I know and it came out of nowhere. Honestly, I had no idea. Though, even if I did I would never have reciprocated."

"I wonder how Corny will take it when he tells her…well…if he tells her." Added Taranee as she finished her tea.

"I doubt he will." Responded Will

"Well, then you two should tell you. No sense of having those two suffer an unhappy relationship."

"I doubt Cornelia will believe us or even listen," Taranee started. "She hasn't been easy to talk to since the trial."

"Oh, but what for? When you girls were here everything seemed just fine."

"She is upset that I agreed to the marriage. However, considering what happened so far, I regret it now." Will replied and fiddled with her empty cup.

"Well, you said A, so now you have to say B." was Diana's response to Will's dilemma.

"I am sure we can find another way for Will to be near the prince, so he doesn't suffer." Taranee started, but Diana only shook her head.

"I thought the verdict was that Will had to stick with her decision."

"I jumped to conclusions- "Will started, but Diana interrupted her.

"You were given freedom and jumped on it. I have seen it before, and my sister acted on freedom she was given then it came to a tattoo. She regretted that tattoo a year later. However, mother taught us that, when we make a decision we have to see it through." She then took hold of Will's hand, which were shaking while holding the cup; causing it to clatter against the saucer. "Will, life has handed you a shovel and you dug yourself into a hole, now all you can do is make the best of it."

For some reason, this resonated in Will's mind. Yes, it was a little harsh knowing she couldn't back out of this; however, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to. Sure, it was a terrifying thought to get married to the prince, especially considering their past, but something inside her mind told her to say 'yes when the prince asked. She couldn't say why that little voice convinced her to. Furthermore, she wondered how the prince thought of her since this morning. He did sound disappointed at her when he left. She hoped she hadn't actually broken his heart at this point. Even Taranee had little to say over Diana's words. At that point, there was little left to say and soon the girls returned to the school.

As the day slowly dragged on, Will became more and more nervous about the dinner ahead. She worried about how her mother would react and feared that her early morning thoughts had soured the shaky relationship she had with the prince. She tried to push those thoughts into the back of her mind; they had an unsteady relationship since the beginning and he knew of her unsure thoughts, so she thought the damage was minimal. When it came time for school to end, Will said goodbye to her friends and collected Diana from behind the school; the Inbetween resident had waited there since lunch so she would be ready for the dinner and she had made a bowl of potato salad. Will wasn't sure if the salad would fit with the meal her mother was making, but she wasn't going to let down her friend who clearly put effort into it.

As the two girls made their way to Will's home, the guardian wondered how Phobos was going to introduce himself. Was he going to be waiting for her at her home dressed as a regular human, since he wasn't there to pick her up from school? Was he going to appear in the living room like he had with her in his full Meridian gear and demand Susan let him marry her only daughter? Will hopped it was the former; she was sure the latter would cause her mother to have a heart attack. To her surprise, she did not find the prince waiting for her outside her door; surely he was going to show up a little later. Susan happily welcomed Diana and thanked her for the salad. Instead of a casserole, her mother had made a simple roast to which this salad would go perfectly.

"So, Will, where is your new boyfriend?" her mother asked and Diana raised an eyebrow at Will, clearly lying to a parent was frowned upon in her society.

"He is running a little late, but he should be here any moment?" Will replied with a smile, still hoping that Phobos would knock on the door any moment. However, that hope quickly melted away when she heard an all-to-familiar tapping sound coming from the mirror. As expected, Susan turned her attention away from the girls and at the mirror. Sure enough, what Will feared to happen, happened and the reflective surface of the mirror rippled like water as the prince emerged from it. Naturally, Susan let out a shriek of fright as the Meridian man stepped from the mirror and into the living room.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Susan yelped, picked up a nearby vase, and pointed it at the prince as if it were a weapon. To keep this situation from further going out of control, Will stepped between her mother and the prince. "Mom, calm down, this is the guy I was telling you about."

"Huh?" it was then that Susan took a closer look at the man and slowly lowered the vase. He did resemble the guy she saw her daughter kiss the other day. Then, Will turned her attention to Phobos.

"What the hell were you thinking? You almost gave my mother a heart attack!" she hissed between her teeth at her fiancé.

"I thought since I was to introduce myself, that I would be truthful as to my identity." Was his casual response. He made no move to touch Will, which did surprise her since he must be in excruciating pain.

"I guess the poison went to your head again," she replied in a hushed sigh and then made to hug him. "Well, the cat is out of the bag now." The then returned her attention to her mother. "Mom, this is Phillip; however, I have a few things to confess. His name isn't Phillip, it is Phobos. He isn't from my school, in fact, he isn't even from Earth. Lastly, he isn't just my new boyfriend but my new fiancé."

"Okay, so his name is a little funny…wait, what?" she looked at her daughter mortified when the last two bits of information registered in her mind. "What do you mean fiancé?"

"Ma'am," Phobos stepped out from behind Will and, naturally, Susan raised the vase again. "If I am allowed to introduce myself; I am Prince Phobos Escanor of Meridian. I am your daughter's fiancé."

Susan still looked on in pure mortification, unable to comprehend what she just heard. There was no way her 14-year-old daughter was engaged to this adult; it didn't matter if he was a prince or not. For all she knew, he wasn't a magical prince, but a simple con-artist. She was sure she had seen a similar trick in Las Vegas. "What the hell do you mean fiancé?"

"Madam," Diana interrupted, "Unless the meaning of the word 'fiancé' has changed, it is exactly what you think. Your daughter is engaged to this man."

Susan's attention snapped back to her daughter, who was now holding onto the man's arm with a worried expression. The man made no attempt to hold Will; he simply stared at Susan, thinking of how to explain the situation. "Madam, I proposed to your daughter and she agreed. Thus, I am your daughter's fiancé."

"What do you mean? There is no way my daughter will marry a 30-year-old- "

"I am 20 madam." He interjected.

"That isn't any better!" Susan was in near hysterics. "She is just a child- "

"Mom, this isn't up for debate." Will interrupted with a louder tone than expected and the room got quiet. "I am going to marry this man here and that is final. Now, I asked for this dinner so you can meet him before I marry him. He is a nice man and Diana can vouch for his character if you feel it necessary."

"What the hell do you mean? You are only 14, there is no way I will allow this!"

"Mom, if you don't allow this I will leave with him against your will. There is nothing you can do to stop this. You can even try to lock me in my room, but I will get out and marry this man." As she spoke, her voice became steadier but her grip on the prince's arm tightened. She was worried about how her mother would react. Susan looked like she was about to faint, luckily Diana was there to take hold of Susan's shoulders and guide her to sit on the nearby sofa. Susan knew her daughter well enough to know she meant her threat; however, this simply seemed too ridiculous.

"Madam, I assure you that this man doesn't mean any harm towards your daughter."

"My baby is engaged." Said Susan in a flat, monotone voice while staring out into space. However, Phobos wasn't going to have this woman become catatonic. Gently, he pulled himself free of Will's grasp and approached the woman; standing before her, he bent down to be at eye level and revealing his hands to show they were empty. Then, within the blink of an eye, a bottle of wine appeared.

"I heard it is custom to bring a gift when visiting someone's house for the first time. Especially when one is invited." He said this in a steady voice and presented this stunned woman with the bottle as a peace offering and to show the minor extent of his powers.

"Oh…you did…" Susan impotently stared at this man holding a bottle. She still couldn't understand how her daughter went from an innocent little girl to being engaged to this 20-year-old magician.

The dinner continued in awkward silence, Diana and Phobos attempted to relax Susan's tense nerves by explaining how it was normal in their societies to marry this young, that Will would lack nothing in life, and that he would never intent on hurting her. Furthermore, the prince assured Susan that they would only be married on paper and not in practice until she was more mature in age if Will desired so. In addition, he mentioned that, since his sister denied the throne, that there was a great chance Will would be titled Queen in the near future. All the while, Susan simply stared into the distance throughout dinner; of and on she would node her head or respond with a hushed "Aha."

The dinner went on like this, for several hours. When it was over, Diana left by creating a black-void portal in the living room right before Susan's eyes. As for Phobos, He chose the mirror. Before he left, he turned to Will. "I will have Cedric sent to fetch you this time tomorrow. You will be staying in Meridian for a few days until we have a date sorted out and a dress made for you."

"Alright," she then gave him a gentle hug and whispered to him. "I'll still see you later, right?"

"Later," He whispered back; however, he didn't mean later that evening, he simply meant later. He planned to start his experiment the moment he stepped through the mirror. When he was gone, Will helped her mother clean the table; the guests had offered to help, but Will didn't allow it since they were guests, in absolute and awkward silence. It wasn't until Will was in bed waiting for the prince that her mother entered the room; realization had just sunk in that her daughter was, indeed, engaged to a magical alien prince. Carefully, Susan sat at the edge of the bed and held her daughter's hand.

"Will, what were you thinking? You are throwing away your entire future." Susan's voice was low and stead. She knew freaking out would only scare her daughter.

"Mom, I am not throwing anything away; I simply changed my future plans." Will kept her own voice stead, fearing her mother might have another freak-out.

"Will, you can't marry that man regardless of their culture. I understand different folks' different strokes, but he is 6 years older than you and you are not of legal age in this country. He is a predator; what if he tries to force himself on you?"

"Mom," Will cut in before her mother could get riled up. "I have known him for a long while and, though he is a moron in many ways, he would never do that to me. He is a man of his word and, if he says nothing will happen until I say so, then nothing will happen." She then patted her mother's hand, "Mom, I promise you that nothing is going to happen to me. However, I will marry that man. I love him and he loves me; he can't live without me at this point. Even if you refused, he would use magic to spirit me away. If you let me go willingly, he will feel safe letting me visit you on a daily basis."

"I still think we should call the cops."

"And tell them what? That a magical alien prince entered the house through a mirror and got engaged to your daughter. They won't believe you even if I cooperate with your story and throw you in the looney-house. Please just let me go in good faith." Will looked at her mother with pleading eyes, the kind that Susan could never refuse.

"I still think this is a bad idea, but you have a point. Still, I want to see where you will be living in the future. You are still my daughter and I would do anything to keep you from harm." Will hugged her mother at this and Susan held her daughter tight, never wanting to let go.

"If I can show you I will be safe with him, would you let me go?"

"You are my baby girl and will stay that way even if 100 years pass, I could never let you go; however, I can try to loosen my grip if it makes you happy."


	25. Chapter 24 The Arrival

Will woke up the next morning before her alarm and completely alone. For a moment, she just looked at the empty space next to her; she had fallen asleep shortly after mother left and did so alone, had she been alone all night? This couldn't be, the prince had slept by her side every night since she discovered his poisoning; surely he had come after she fell asleep and she had missed him. Carefully, she touched the pillow beside her, it was cold and clearly untouched. Furthermore, there was absolutely no sign of anyone having slept beside her. How could this be? Surely he was about to keel over with agony at this point. Perhaps something important happened in Meridian and he was held up? Will hoped so and hoped that she would soon see him later that day.

She got dressed and left for school, her mother was sleeping in; the previous evening had absolutely drained her, and she had dipped a little deeper into the Meridian wine than she should have. Will didn't mind it though, she knew her mother was in shock. If anything, she was relieved that Susan was still asleep; if she had been awake, Susan might have been never let Will go. School was quiet, her friends were happily chatting about spring-break plans during lunch. They were enthralled to hear of Will's plan to stay in Meridian during the break to plan the wedding and have a dress fitted for her. Irma begged to taken along.

"Please take me along with you! I can fit into your suitcase if needed." Irma gave Will her best impression of puppy eyes. Will simply laughed it off. They were her friends, but they weren't her husband's friends and she didn't feel comfortable bringing them along without telling him.

"Irma, I will ask him if you guys can visit and help. I am sure he will agree since I planned to invite all of you to the wedding. I just need to ask him ahead of time, since it is his castle and kingdom. I don't want to be rude. I will promise you three are the first to know when you guys can come." Irma over-dramatically slouched, and Hay-Lyn playfully tapped her shoulder.

"Irma, it is Will's wedding, not yours. We will be reunited before you know it."

"Besides, we are invited to the wedding." Added Taranee and turned to Will, "So, you are getting married now, right?" she raised a worried eyebrow.

"Yeah, I am firm on my decision."

"You were questioning your decision?" Irma gasped in a slightly louder, than intended, voice.

"What does your mother have to say about this?" Hay-Lyn asked, giving Irma's arm a light pinch to keep her quiet. The girls did not need the attention of the whole school.

"I did have a few doubts and my mother is…well, less than thrilled." Will began to nervously fettle with her thumbs. "She met him last evening, he was invited for dinner so mom could meet him, and I think she went into shock. She wanted to call the cops, but that would have gone nowhere. Let's just hope she will let me go this evening when I get pick up."

At this, the girls naturally giggled; imagining Susan nearly fainting when Will introduced her mother to her fiancé. The girls had their care-free laughs and school went on as usual. At the end of the day, Will returned home to find her mother and Dean waiting for her in the living room; both with worried expressions on their faces. Will was inwardly panicking. "Mom, is everything alright?"

"Will, you mother has informed of some very serious matters. - "Dean explained in a calm voice. Will still inwardly screamed. Luckily, as Dean was about to add anything more, there came a knock on the door and Susan shrank into the sofa. Will knew who it was and why her mother reacted like this.

"I'll get it," Will replied before the adults could react and opened the door to find…Eric from the bookstore?

"Wilhelmina Vandom, I am here to guide you back to Meridian where the prince awaits your arrival." Inwardly, Will was mortified to discover that Eric was Lord Cedric in human form. Furthermore, he knew where she lived and who her mother was. If she had any remaining doubts about this marriage, there was absolutely no way to back out of this without endangering her family. Phobos might remain level headed and agree to an alternative, but Lord Cedric was a loyal fanatic.

"Oh, right…I.- "

"You are not leaving with my daughter!" Susan yelped like a banshee and jumped up from her place on the sofa to wrap her arms protectively around her daughter. Her grip was so tight that Will was sure her lungs were being crushed. Dean got up as well and tried to comfort Susan; he was unsure of what was going on. With an unsteady expression, Will looked up at Cedric.

"May my mother and Dean come with? They are worried for my safety." Will asked and Cedric only rolled his eyes. The prince had expected this and had guest rooms prepared for additional accommodation. However, Cedric was annoyed by this; more people meant more knew of the portal, which could mean the secret of Meridian's existence was at risk. Furthermore, he had no desire to babysit an overly emotional mother. Reluctantly, and nodded and began to lead the group to the bookstore. As they walked, Dean kept asked where they were going and why Susan was acting so strange; when he got the call from her, earlier in the day, she had just mentioned something about Will being in serious danger. Will simply smiled at the two adults over her shoulders and assured them everything will be fine. When the group got to the bookstore, Cedric moved the shelf that concealed the portal and Will felt like mentally slapping herself. Now she knew how Phobos got to Earth and how he found her. With Cedric as a spy on Earth, she was surprised the prince hadn't found her sooner. Dean appeared like he was about to faint; surely he was comparing this to an alien abduction and so did Susan. The two stunned adults were easily pulled through the portal; they had the look of being stunned in utter awe at what they saw. Will was sure Dean was wracking his mind trying to compare what he saw to historical places. When Will saw her mother, she knew realization had finally sunken in. Trying to keep the stunned adults under control, Cedric placed them in a small library to wait until dinner before leaving. When they were alone, Susan turned to her daughter.

"So, everything yesterday was true…it wasn't just smoke and mirrors."

"Yes mother, everything is as it seems and more."

"This is a different world…How did you meet that prince?" Susan was trying to wrack her on how her daughter could have met a prince from another world.

"Long story short for another day, I have been chosen to protect existence from evil…Yan-Lyn will be able to explain it better." Will tried to explain but knew this wasn't going to satisfy her confused mother.

"What do you mean?" Susan gave her mother a questioning look. What she said made no sense. Realizing she needed more proof, Will took the heart out from under her shirt and held it high. The cat was already out of the bag; might as well name it. Within a flash of pink light, Will was transformed into her guardian form before bother Susan's and Dean's eyes. Naturally, their mouth dropped open, especially Susan's when she saw her daughter; stunned into silence, she sat down on a nearby chair, never taking her eyes off her daughter. Will attempted to explain things a little more in detail but knew her mother was beyond listening. She just found out about her daughter's secret second 'magical-girl' life. Dean stood beside Susan and gave her a gentle 'half-hug' he was still engrossed by the architecture and furniture. Will was glad one of the two adults was able to keep themselves together.

Two hours later, Cedric came back and lead them to a smaller dining room. It was clearly a more private dining area meant for the family. Will was surprised to find it set for only three people; before Cedric could leave, Will stopped him. "Umm, where is Phobos?"

With an exasperated sigh, the Lord turned his attention to the soon-to-be bride. "The prince will not be joining you tonight. He has important business to attend to. However, if you have a message for him; I will be quick to relay it to him."

With that, he left the group. Will was dumbfounded, surely Cedric knew of Phobos's condition. Will sat with her mother and Dean at the table but barely managed to eat anything more but the soup; her stomach was twisting in knots of worry. She hadn't seen the prince since last evening, which was over 24 hours ago, and she was sure he was laying somewhere in utter agony. She wondered what she should do? The castle was huge and had many levels and rooms; it would be nearly impossible to find him here. it wasn't even said that Phobos was anywhere in the castle; for all Will knew, he was suffering at another kingdom. She prayed she would see him this night.

After supper, the guests were lead to their bedrooms; Susan and Dean would have to share a room since it was expected that only the mother accompanied the girl. Will's room was right across the hallway from Susan's. When saw that her daughter would be sleeping separate from her, she tried to object. "I doubt the two would share a bed before the wedding- "

"No worries ma'am, the Prince's quarters are on the other side of the castle. You do not need to fear about your daughter's chastity." Replied the lord in a flat tone and left the group for themselves. Will felt like curling into a ball and hiding after this; she didn't need her mother discussing this with the snake lord. Luckily, Dean hadn't heard that conversation; he had been in a history teacher's seventh heaven from the moment he arrived. The only thing he could be compared to would be a child on their first day at Disney World. Susan still insisted on inspecting Will's room; making sure the prince wasn't hiding in the closet or under the bed.

After everyone had settled down, and Susan returned to her own room, Will sat in her room in front of a warm fire shivering. She was sick with worry and desperately wanted to search the castle but feared her mother would check-up on her during the night. Surely, her mother would have an aneurysm if she found her daughter missing from her room. Sick with worry, Will lay on her bed and stared up at the ceiling; wondering what was going on. Sure, he was a prince and therefore busy, but this felt wrong. She was sure he had told her that he would see her later, last time she saw him; he was a man of his word, so why wasn't she returning to her? As she lay there, she wondered if this was her life from now on. Would she only see him a few times a week and spend the rest of her life alone? Looking around, she noted how lavishly the room was furnished. The walls were a dark cognac color with fitting, plump, sofa and chair set in front of the fireplace. There was a writing desk beside the window and a bookshelf beside that. The bed was a canopy style with a soft mattress and a fur comforter. Clearly, this was luxury in every meaning of the word.

However, all this meant nothing to her. Will could have slept on the cold floor of the dungeon as long as she was at his side. Counting the Inbetween time as regular days, Will slept almost a month by his side and now, she missed him. He was funny and warm when he wasn't being angry and terrifying. As she thought this over, Will had to admit that there definitely was a part of her that deeply loved that man. Before, she thought what she felt for him, at the Inbetween, was simply a figment of her imagination. Something her mind had conjured up because of the emotional strain; however, that wasn't true. A part of her deeply loved him and it was that part that had agreed to the marriage; it was that part that had kissed him and held him. It was that part that, that enjoyed sleeping beside him. Without him, she felt cold; not from the temperature, the fire made the room cozy, but inwardly from loneliness and worry.

Curling-up under the blanket, Will forced herself to sleep.

XXXXX

In his study, Phobos sat at his desk with papers strewn about. He knew Will was asking about him from Cedric, but he couldn't give in just yet. He had just reached the 24-hour mark and wanted to force himself to endure the pain a little longer. He had survived that amount of time before; surely he could go a little further. In the night, he sat awake at his desk; it was a little more picked up, but still a mess. He knew he couldn't sleep like this; now a migraine had joined the chest pain. The edges of his vision were blurry, and it felt as though a pike ax was being rammed through his head. His breathing was uneven and shallow, his hands shook, his vanes felt like they were stuffed with ice shards, and a blistering wire was wrapped around his heard. Furthermore, a cough had joined his symptoms.

It started as a simple cough earlier but had grown in severity. It was the type of cough that was wet and shook his whole being while sounding like dry leaves raking against wet cobblestones. Every time a coughing fit started, he was left gasping for air and black dots flashing before his eyes. However, he wasn't about to give in. He was still able to breathe and hadn't fallen unconscious yet; he had instructed Lord Cedric to bring Will to him if he found him unconscious. As he sat, trying to read a book to take his mind off of the pain, another coughing fit started. It shook his body and rattled in his chest; however, something new had accompanied the cough. In the back of his throat, the prince tasted something awfully familiar; it was the disgustingly familiar taste of salted copper. He knew it hadn't come from his throat; aside from the irritation from the coughing, it felt fine. This taste reeked up from his lungs; shaking, he took his hand from his mouth and saw the red flecks of blood.


	26. Chapter 25 The Confrontation

Will hadn't seen Phobos for nearly one week now. The wedding was to be held in two days and she hadn't once spoken with him since she arrived in Meridian. Each day she became more and more worried; as well as more and more annoyed with Lord Cedric. Each day she asked if she would see her fiancé and each day the Lord came with an excuse as to why she couldn't. Every day, the excuse was that the prince was either busy or away in a meeting. When she asked if she was needed by his side, Cedric decline on the Prince's orders. When she tried to keep her mind busy, so she wouldn't worry herself to death, she offered to help with the wedding plans since her dress was nearly complete. Cedric declined this as well; informing the future bride of the Meridian customs where the engaged couple had little to zero input on planning the wedding festivities. Will understood traditional customs but insisted on inviting a few friends herself. The Lord relented and allowed Will to make a few invitation cards for her friends and close family. After crafting a few, handmade cards, Will asked Cedric to take her back to Earth with the promise that she would be back within the hour; all she wanted to do was pass out the cards in person. Cedric relented and lead Will back to the bookstore.

The first stop on Will's list was her mother's place. As expected, when she rang the doorbell, her mother wrenched open the door and threw her arms around her daughter as if she hadn't seen her in years instead of days. Inside, Dean was sitting on the sofa and warmly greeted Will. Will returned the greeting while trying to console her sobbing mother; ensuring her that nothing had happened and that she was perfectly safe before handing the two adults each a card. "The wedding is in two days."

"Will, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Susan pointed to the cards.

"Mom, I made up my mind and I am sticking to it. I have an invitation for Dad too and he knows of my secret second life. Now please stop making a scene and accept my decision. You saw how safe I am in Meridian with Phobos."

"What about your education Will," Dean asked in between pauses of the conversation. Unexpectedly, Will had a response.

"I have that planned as well. During the day, I go to school, visit mom for a bit afterward, and then return to my husband's side. I will try to be here on weekends with him unless his job demands he stay in Meridian; in that case, I will stay there with him. Does that satisfy your question?"

"I am still surprised of everything, but I am glad you have a plan in mind for the future. I thank you for the invitation." This made Will smile at her teacher. It surprised her how accepting he was; however, Dean was a history teacher and knew everything about the customs and traditions of past cultures. Furthermore, Will knew Dean Collins was addicted to learning and would never pass up the opportunity to learn of other cultures and their history. After reassuring her mother for the 100th time, Will said goodbye to them and went to pass out the rest of her cards. Thankfully, when she went to give Hay-Lyn her card, Taranee, Irma, and Elyon were there as well. When the group saw their friend enter the Silver Dragon, they jumped up from their seat in the corner and rushed their friend with the strongest hugs imaginable.

"How have you been?" Taranee asked as she wiped some tears from her face, she had feared she would never see her friend again.

"I have been fine. I would have come back sooner, but I had to play mannequin for the seamstress making my dress. It is nearly complete, and I wanted you guys to see it before the wedding. Which reminds me." Will gave each a card and Elyon practically glowed from her smile.

"So, it is true, you are going to marry my brother." She said as she looked at the card in her hand. Then she gave Will another tight hug. After her last meeting with her brother, Elyon had hoped to patch things up with him. Sure, what he did was repulsive, but Elyon could forgive and she had always wanted siblings. Perhaps, with Will at his side, she could finally attempt to reconnect with her brother. Hay-Lyn took her invitation with a burst of elated laughter and ran to inform her grandmother. Irma nearly squealed with joy as she read her card and jumped in place like a child being promised a pony for their birthday.

"EEEK!" She then hugged her friend, nearly crushing Will's lungs in the process, "I am so happy for you."

"Irma, you are overreacting again," Taranee stated with laughter. Will invited them for dinner in Meridian so they could see the dress and told them to meet her at the bookstore later before excusing her out. She had one more invitation to hand out.

Will knew the way well and soon found herself standing before Cornelia's door, she hadn't seen her friend since announcing her engagement and feared what she might encounter. Carefully, yet determined, Will knocked on Cornelia's door; within a minute, the door opened to Cornelia. She had been smiling, but that quickly dropped when she saw Will standing at her doorstep. With a voice that bordered on disgust, she asked: "What do you want?"

"I came to give you this," Will replied and help out a small card for Cornelia, who took it and quickly read it.

"Is this a joke?" she scoffed and looked at her former friend with disgust.

"Cornelia, we were best friends. I know I said some harsh things and I want to apologize and patch things up. I don't think our friendship should end because of this. Please say you will come to the wedding. It would mean so much- "

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Cornelia interrupted and pointed at Will's hand, the one with the engagement ring. "As long as that ring is on your figure and that monster sleeps in your bed," She lifted the card to mean Phobos, "You can forget our friendship."

"Cornelia, please reconsider- "again she was cut off.

"You and your monster may have Elyon and the others fooled, you may have the remnants of the rebellion fooled, you may even have the Oracle fooled, but you are not fooling me and Caleb. Until you meet my conditions, consider Caleb and I your worst enemies." With that, Cornelia slammed the door shut in Will's face. Will was naturally shocked but knew something like this would have happened. Obviously, Caleb hadn't come clean to Cornelia and Will wasn't going to mess with their relationship or what Cornelia thought was a relationship. After Cornelia, she went to the school where the portal to the Inbetween sat; sadly, only Diana was available, and she too had to go somewhere. Apparently, she had discovered a distance cousin was still alive and so was the younger brother of the man she was engaged to, so she wanted to see her home town again. Will didn't want to keep her any longer than needed and handed her a card for each resident of the Inbetween before heading back to the bookstore. Still, Will had to hold back tears she made her way back to the bookstore; until now, she had hoped to reconcile with Cornelia, but their friendship was officially over. She found her friends waiting in front of the bookstore for her, so she composed herself and after they too discovered Eric's true identity, they made their way to Meridian; much to Cedric's annoyance.

In Meridian, Will lead the girls to her room where her dress was hanging from a display bust. The girls waited patiently as Will took it and went behind the curtain, that served as a fitting room, to get dressed; this took a bit as the dress still held pins where it needed to be hemmed to her height. When Will stepped out to reveal herself, her friends nearly dropped their jaws. The dress, though incomplete, was stunning. In a perfect pearl white, it gave Will a stunning figure; it was floor length in the skirt, firm fitting in the bust, shoulder free, and the sleeves were made of a veil-like material that fell loosely to her elbows in the front and reached her knees in the back. It reminded the girls of a white lily by design.

"Will, you look stunning!" Elyon gasped and stepped a little closer for a better look; however, she didn't touch it in fear of ruining it. Irma wanted to give Will another hug but refrains from doing so when Taranee pointed out the remaining pins. Hay-Lyn wished she had taken her camera with her to document this moment. Taranee consulted her friend by pointing out that the wedding was in two days and that she could take photos of the even all day. Will then returned the dress to the bust and the girls continued their evening discussing the wedding. Will had to truthful that she didn't know what to expect as was Meridian custom. All she knew, was that she had to write a vow and model for the dress; she was sure Phobos was doing the same when work allowed it. Irma asked about bridesmaids and bachelorette parties and Will could only shrug; Meridian only had witnesses, which were the guests, and Will had never considered a bachelorette party. Hay-Lyn suggested a simple party at the Silver Dragon a day before the wedding, and Will happily agreed. All the while Will kept thinking of her fiancé and how he was doing.

Later, a servant came and lead the girls to the private dining room, when they were seated, Will hesitantly asked the servant where her fiancé would be; to her displeasure, the servant informed Will that the Prince would be busy and had dinner in his study. When the servant left, Taranee turned to Will with a worried look on her face. "Is everything alright between you and Phobos? I thought he might want to spend some time with you because of…well, you know."

"Oh, we do spend time together," Will lied and stirred her soup. "He just wanted to get a head start on some work, so he doesn't have to work on our wedding day." Luckily, the girls bought Will's hastily thought out excuse and the girls happily continued their dinner. Inwardly, Will was beyond worried; she was livid. Cedric always came with an excuse, but now she knew that this was all they were excuses. Her fiancé was busy, but actively using work as a means to avoid her and Will knew why. He had heard her doubts and it scratched his ego; Will was sure of it. She kept her composure but swore to herself that she was going to confront him before bedtime.

After the girls left for the night, Will pretended to go to her room; however, she remained hidden in the darkness of the hallway. During the five days she had spent in at the castle, Will had attempted to find the prince before but failed; the castle was more of a maze than a home. During this time, she had seen Cedric a few times; he always took the same pathways, but Will had always lost him at some point because she kept her distance; she was sure the Lord was regularly communicating with her fiancé.

Making sure to stay a few feet away and concealed by darkness, Will quietly followed Cedric through several hallways. The longer the walk, the more Will became discouraged of finding the Prince. For all Will knew, Cedric was taking a casual stroll. Her hopes sprang up again when they reached the end of another hallway, which leads to a set of twisting stares. Being able to take occasional glances outside, Will noted that they were heading towards a tower; surely, the stares had to lead to the room where her fiancé hid. When Will reached the bottom of the stairs, she could hear the conversation going on above her through the open door and stopped to listen.

"Your Highness, I implore you to have a visit with the girl. Your health would greatly appreciate it."

"I am fine Cedric." Will heard the prince reply in a ragged voice. Her suspicions about the prince actively avoiding her were confirmed. She wanted to storm up those stairs right away and tear her fiancé a new one; however, she stopped herself to listen. If she was going to confront Phobos, she wanted to do so without Cedric to stop her.

"Your Highness, please listen- "he was cut off by the prince.

"Lord Cedric, you are out of line. I told you not to worry unless I fall comatose. Now, unless you have something else to report to me, I suggest you go to rest for the night." From the tone of his voice, Will knew he was exhausted and in agony. Lord Cedric said nothing further and turned to leave. Will quickly hid behind a decorative wall carpet before she was spotted. Cedric was too preoccupied worrying over the prince to notice Will's feet sticking out from under the carpet. When Will was sure the coast was clear, Will came out of hiding and made her way up the stairs where she reached a solid wooden door. Fueled by angry, Will knocked on the door; from the other side, she heard, "Cedric, I ordered you to leave me alone for the night."

Will wasn't Cedric, and she wasn't going to let him continue to act like an ass. With an angry huff, she wrenched open the door and shot her fiancé an angry glare. That glare didn't live long when she saw the state he had put himself in. He looked ragged; in the past five days, he hardly ate and slept even less. He felt the sensation of burning needles in his joints and he could barely breathe without coughing. His complexion was ashen-gray, eyes sunken with dark circles under them, and cheeks hollow. He looked like he was about to knock on Death's door. When he saw Will standing in the doorway, his mind couldn't comprehend why she was there. Then he realized why she stood there, she had found him; judging by the angry glare she shot at him, she found out about his experiment and wasn't pleased. He didn't care and shot up from his desk, ready to counter any complaints thrown his way.

"What are you doing- "he was cut off by another cough caused by the sudden movement. He covered his mouth with his hand to suppress it, but blood still shot out from between his fingers. Black dots danced in his vision as he gasped for air, but the blood in his throat denied this and he collapsed to the ground.

"YOU STUPID BASTARD!" Will yelped in shock and rushed to his side, turning him onto his side so the blood could drain from his mouth. She didn't know why he was bleeding, but it didn't matter; she had to get him help. Suddenly, she heard footsteps rush up the stairs; within the blink of an eye, Lord Cedric stood by the open door. Will turned to him as she knelt beside the unconscious prince with tears streaming from her eyes. "Don't just stand there, get a doctor!"

Cedric said nothing but rushed away to get the royal physician. Within 10-minutes, the doctor arrived, judged the prince to be ambulatory, and instructed Cedric to help him carry the prince to the nearest bedroom. There, Cedric tried to deny Will entrance, but she simply pushed past him to sit next to the bed and hold the Prince's hand. There was no way in Hell that she was going to leave his side now and there was nothing the Lord could say or do to make her. The doctor listened to the Prince's heart-beat, breathing, and felt his temperature; he had a bit of a fever, but it was going down with every minute held his hand. The doctor determined that the prince should be fine if this fever goes away and his breathing remains stable; the best thing for the prince was rest.

After the physician left, Cedric attempted to remove Will once more, but she fixed him with a cold stare and hissed between her teeth. "You idiot. If I leave now, he could die, and you know that."

Realizing this, the lord backed off and left the room; he still saw Will as a threat but knew the prince needed her. This was not a battle he could win. When they were alone, Will gently touched Phobos's head and felt his fever slowly cool. Her nerves were fried, and she felt herself begin to shake; she felt like crying and smacking this man for his stupidity. However, she knew this would do nothing but injure him further and she wanted him to get better. Unsure of what to do, Will got up and laid down on the bed beside him; laying beside him, she listened to his breathing and placed a hand on his chest to feel his heart-beat. Thankfully, it had slowed and grown steadier than before. Snuggled against her fiancé and closed her eyes; she was asleep within minutes.

XXXXX

Phobos woke up two hours later; he was free of most pains, but the muscles in his chest ached from the continuous coughing of the previous days. However, this wasn't what was on his mind, he felt someone beside him and knew who it was. With great effort, he turned his head to see Will sound asleep beside him; despite his plans to train his body to endure the pain, he was thankful that she was there. That was when Will opened her eyes, having sensed that the prince had awakened. In an exhausted and raspy voice, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"You are my fiancé, you idiot. Why wouldn't I want to sleep beside you." Her voice was quiet but firm. She loved him but hated how idiotic he could be.

"I thought you wanted to cancel the wedding." This earned him a cold glare from the red-haired woman beside him.

"What would make you think that?" then she slightly shook her head. "Everyone had doubts about big changes like these and I am no different. I bet you had doubts yourself since you chose the dumbest way to hurt yourself to get my attention."

"I wasn't intending on forcing both of us into an unhappy marriage. I thought I could train myself to endure the poison's effects for as long as possible."

"You are the greatest moron I have ever met." Was Will's flat response and shifted her head a little to look at him better. "If I didn't want to marry you, I wouldn't be here right now. Please never pull a stunt like this ever again. We are going to stand in front of the altar in two days and, despite what you think about my past thoughts, I would enjoy having you there that day. It is difficult to get married alone."

"Why do you still want to marry me? You know you don't have to follow the Oracle's orders."

"I am not following his orders because I have to but because I want to. You stupid bastard, I love you." To her surprise, the prince chuckled, and she looked at him as though he had lost his mind.

"Do you always use such foul language towards people you loved?"

"If they act as moronic as you I would." Was her response and she tightened her grip on his chest. Sensing her desire to be held, he turned onto his side despite his exhaustion and tightly wrapped his arms around her. Will blushed and wrapped her arms around his middle with a small smile on her lips. This was the man she had fallen for; a warm, funny, gentle moron who didn't know what was good for him and what wasn't. Even if he wasn't suffering from the poison, he would need someone to supervise his decisions and actions; Will was a little surprised how he hadn't accidentally killed himself sooner in life. Again, the prince was reading her mind and found her thoughts amusing.

"You really need to stop reading my thoughts like this. That is what got you in this situation in the first place." She stated in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Will you be truthful with me from now on?"

"Of course, I will as long as you stay truthful with me." She then loosened her grip a little to look him in the eyes. "And don't try to be sneaky like you have when you said you would see me later."

"Done madam, done. I will remain truthful and faithful from now on."

"Great," Will smiled but decided to test him before allowing him to fall asleep again. "Then answer me truthfully, how do you feel about me?"

"Will you give me your true answer?"

"I promise and I won't have any doubts about it." At this, the prince smiled and gently pushed a strand of hair from Will's face.

"Wilhelmina Vandom, I love you." At this, Will smiled and held him tight.

"I love you too Phobos. And call me Will from now on."

"Never."


	27. Chapter 26 The Wedding

Will looked at herself in the mirrors with her nerves on fire. The dress was perfect and fit her like a glove; wearing the dress, she hardly recognized her own reflection. Still, her nerves were fried, and she hoped she wouldn't forget her vows at the last minute since she had the tendency to forget things when nervous. Furthermore, she hopped her mother and Irma wouldn't cause a scene. During the bachelorette party, Irma kept asking one question after another and she got Elyon infected with the same bug since she too started bombarding Will with her own questions. Luckily, the party was mostly karaoke and discussing old memories so the two had few chances to interrogate her. Her mother, on the other hand, was more of a hassle to deal with. A day before the wedding, she had spent a few hours with her and, to her surprise, her father was there as well; she had hoped to avoid facing him until the wedding.

To say her father was livid would've been an understatement.

Just like her mother, he kept on and on about how this was ruining her future. He demanded she cancel the wedding, return the ring, and never speak to the prince again; however, Will stood her ground. She hadn't gone through so much with Phobos to skip out on the marriage now. Just as with her mother, Will promised her father that nothing would happen and that the marriage was on paper and not in principle. When he asked her why she was marrying the prince, she simply responded with. "He asked me, and I love him enough to agree."

Luckily, the rebellion group and the rest of the kingdom were more accepting of her decision; especially since Caleb wasn't there to dispute her arguments. With Taranee, Hay-Lyn, Irma, and Elyon's help, the rebellion was persuaded to accept Will's marriage. However, Will still thought that the only reason this worked was because of Elyon.

Now, she was ready to walk down the aisle. The only thing standing between her and the man she loved was a short hallway and the door she stood behind with a racing heart and shaking knees. She knew nothing would happen, aside from Irma acting like a hyperactive child, but she still worried about her mother and father. Taking a deep breath, she nodded her head, which was the signal for the door to open itself. The quiet muttering that had been going on fell silent and the room became so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Kneeling at the alter waited the prince and when he saw Will in her dress, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Despite the veil, he could see her face practically glow with joy and the veil could barely conceal her fiery red hair. If she looked pretty before, she was gorgeous now. Luckily, he wasn't the only one staring; about half the guests did so, as well as the priest. He couldn't wait to exchange vows with her. In the past 2 days that he had spent with her, his affection for her had only grown. Part of him wondered how he could have ever hated her; then again, it was easier to hate a stranger than someone you know.

Will didn't hesitate nor did she pay any attention to her friends and parents gawking, or how Hay-Lyn was clutching a camera to her chest and was silently taking pictures of every step of the ceremony. Her focus was on the man kneeling before the altar and how he looked more handsome than usual in his black and dark-maroon marriage cloak; she would have preferred something more colorful, she felt turquoise fit him the best, but none of this was in their hands. The closer she got, the more her heart raced like a wild horse while her cheeks turned a rosy strawberry color. When she finally reached the altar and took a kneel, the prince took her hand and gave her a small smile that was barely visible to anyone else but her. Though he had promised her not to read her mind again, he couldn't help but give her a small message. "You look beautiful."

Will's cheeks turned a brighter shade of rose and she felt lucky to have the veil; she was sure her blushing cheeks could be seen from the other end of the aisle. The priest, an ancient man who had wed her fiancé's parents and simply wished to retire after with wedding, cleared his throat and began to read the necessary blessings from an ancient manuscript. Will wanted to pay attention to what the old man was saying, she didn't want to miss the part where they exchanged vows, but she simply couldn't focus on the words; her thought kept wondering over to her soon-to-be-husband and how her father was probably staring daggers at him. Her father was already against her dating Matt at her age, surely the only thing keeping him from strangling her fiancé was the presence of the other guests. "I know your father wishes me death, but don't worry we will not need to visit the Inbetween to save me this time. I promise."

"My father is never going to stop giving you death glares; even 100 years from now, he will give you those glares. Even if we had children, he would give you glares. I am his only daughter and he, therefore, has the right to be angry at you. Since there is nothing you could do to make him like you, I suggest you be yourself." Will replied in her mind. She was thankful that he had taught her how; she still wasn't great at reading minds, but her progress was slow and steady. He had also taught her a bit about the politics and diplomacies that she would delegate once she was crowned queen. The workload did worry her since this was all new to her, but she knew Phobos would help her. Part of her wondered if Elyon hadn't jumped a bullet by refusing the crown.

Will was lost in these thoughts until she felt Phobos gently squeeze her hand; it was time to exchange vows. With him still holding her hand, they stood and turned to face each other. Her heart quickened, even more, her knees felt weak, and her hands shook; she was sure that, if he hadn't held her hand, she would have fallen over. She tried to control her breathing so she would have a voice when it became her turn.

"Wilhelmina Vandom," Phobos started and picked up the ring intended for her from the pillow they had rested on at the altar. "With this ring, I ask you to be mine. In sickness as in health. In poverty as in wealth. With this ring, I am bound to you until I die." He then slipped the ring onto her finger; it fit perfectly. Taking a deep breath to control her racing heart, she picked up the ring intended for him.

"Phobos Escanor, with this ring I ask you to be mine. In sickness as in health. In poverty as in wealth. With this ring, I am bound to you until I die."

He then lifted her veil and waited for the priest to finish the blessings. "With the power invested in me by the gods and country, I pronounce you two husband and wife." He then addressed the prince. "You may kiss the bride."

With a smile, Will entwined her fingers with his and stood on her tiptoes so he didn't have to stoop too low. Phobos placed a gentle and short kiss on his new wife before giving her a smile and a message to her mind. "Our first kiss as husband and wife, and you didn't hit me."

Will couldn't hold back her laughter and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tight. She could hear the audience applaud and shout their congratulations, but she didn't care about them. At that moment, all that mattered was holding her prince and him holding her.

Moments later, they were celebrating in a packed ballroom. Though she wanted to, Will barely had a chance to dance with her new husband; every time they turned around someone came up to give their blessings or congratulate them. Then her father came up to have a chat with the groom and her friends dragged her away for hugs and the like.

"I still can't believe you got married. I am so happy for you." Hay-Lyn cheered and gave her friend a tight hug. "I took photos the entire time. I promise to print them out and give them to you as soon as I get home."

"So, when are you two going to have kids? Are you going to tell your mother, or will you keep it a secret? Are you- "Will interrupted Irma before she could further bombard her. At this point, it was no longer cute.

"Irma, I already told you that you are the first to know when we have made a decision. Now, I heard Diana is planning an arrangement with her ex-fiancé's brother and she might need some help making-up her mind- "Will didn't even manage to finish her sentence when Irma began to bounce again with excitement.

"Say no more, Match-Maker Irma is on the case." With that, she, thankfully, ran off. Part of Will felt bad for sending Irma after an unsuspecting Diana.

"Nice prank, Irma is going to be pissed when she finds out." Taranee giggled.

"It isn't a prank. Diana found out her ex-fiancé's brother survived the bombing. You can ask her yourself if you think I am joking." Replied Will and Taranee's mouth nearly dropped to the floor. Luckily she quickly caught herself.

"Oh my God, I am amazed to hear that. Great to hear things are finally looking up for her after everything she has been through. Where is she? I want to protect her a little from Irma's energy."

"I am unsure, but I think I saw Sophia near one of the drink tables. I doubt Diana would stay far from her in this situation, given how Sophia has a habit for messing with things." Taranee thanked her friend, gave her another hug, and walked off. Will hardly had a moment for herself when a man and a woman approached her; clearly, they had been patiently waiting their turn to talk with the bride.

"I wish to congratulate you and wish you a happy marriage with my cousin." Said the woman. She was beautiful with her long white hair and sapphire blue eyes. Judging by how she meant Phobos when she said cousin, Will was sure that this was the king and queen of Ero. From what her husband had told her, a day before the wedding, Ero was younger than Meridian and only came to be when a King, several generations ago, had 2 daughters and split off a portion of Meridian so the younger one wouldn't have to give up her title. Meridian was still the largest kingdom, which is why it played the role of judge, jury, and police between the other kingdoms.

"Oh, thank you…I am sorry I am afraid I don't know your name yet. Phobos told me so many names and places, I still haven't sorted things out yet. This is all new to me." Will apologized, thankfully, the woman understood and even giggled a bit. The man remained statue quiet.

"I completely understand. I grew up in royalty and still don't know everyone and their position; my name is Isabela and this," she motioned to her husband, "is Victor. We are the king and queen of Ero and, again, I am so happy for you and Phobos. I have a feeling that he could use a feminine hand to help him rule the kingdom. You and your husband are always welcomed in our kingdom."

"Thank you, Isabel, it means a lot to me to hear that. I'll ask if Phobos would like to visit Ero with me. From what I heard, it is a very nice place." Will lied about that part; she had only recently discovered the existence of other kingdoms in this world and knew nothing about them, but she truly wanted to learn more. The women exchanged a few more pleasantries while Victor remained quiet before the King and Queen of Ero excused themselves to find the groom and congratulate him. Will took that opportunity to leave for one of the many balconies the ballroom was connected to; she needed some fresh air and a moment to herself. She felt that, if she answered another question or listen to another blessing, her head would explode.

As she left the ballroom, she spotted her mother and Dean having a conversation with, whom she presumed to be the Lord and Lady of Ero's western province. From what Will could remember, from her crash course, the Lord and Lady had recently gotten married three months ago. If she remembered correctly, the Lady was 12 and the Lord was 14. She could still see the discomfort on her mother's face, but Will knew it was for the better that Susan got more exposure to the customs of Meridian and its' neighboring kingdoms. Perhaps then, Susan would be a little more accepting of Will's new husband.

From her vantage point, Will could see the kingdom below in all of its' decorated glory. In the dimming light of dusk, the kingdom below shown in a warm red, orange, yellow, and magenta glow from thousands of lit lanterns. Along with the decoration, jolly music flooded the streets and the people were celebrating the event. Will simply leaned against the stone banister and watched the merriment below; slightly wishing she could celebrate with them when, suddenly, she heard the door to the ballroom open. She rolled her eyes, expecting to hear more blessings, and turned around; to her surprise, it was Phobos. He looked as exhausted as she felt; this day was taking a toll on both of them.

"How did the chat with my father go?" Will asked with a tired smile.

"As well as one could expect. He did threaten to tear my throat out should I ever dare lay a hand on you." He sighed and approached his wife, leaning against the banister beside her. "I guess he isn't looking forward to having grandchildren one day. As for everyone else, they seemed more accepting of our union."

Will only giggled and shook her head. "Then we must keep it a secret, should we ever choose to have kids."

"I agree to that. Besides, I think it is best we wait. The priest has gotten it into his head that he can't retire until he has wed ever member of my family. He actually came up to me and asked when my sister would get married. He lost it when I told him that I didn't know and that Elyon wasn't even interested in marriage yet."

"Why isn't he retired yet?"

"My best guess is that he has lost his mind in his older years." He then leaned a little closer to her. "So, how do you feel about the festivities?"

"Aside from all the questions and blessings that are getting annoying, I am loving this day." Replied Will and leaned against his shoulder.

"So, you are not regretting marrying me yet?"

"No, but I do wonder why you wanted to marry me. Surely you could have found another way to live with your condition. I know you are powerful and determined enough to find a way. You could have corrupted the leigheas to ease the pain- "Will was cut off when Phobos put an arm around her.

"I could have tried everything under the Sun, but I am more than content with my decision. Now you, why did you agree to marry me?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Will answered and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head against his chest to listen to his heartbeat. "You can be kind and funny; you are warm to snuggle up against and sleep like a rock. Furthermore, you are smart, yet you can be the greatest moron in the world."

"So, you aren't afraid of me anymore?"

"I lost that fear after you told me how you wrecked the royal library to get a book." Will giggled and felt him tighten his hold on her.

"That isn't even the craziest thing I have done as a child. If you married me simply to get more stories out of me, you are in for a treat." Will couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Even after marrying me, you still suffer from selective hearing. Didn't you listen when I mentioned all the reasons why I love you?"

"I was, I simply messing with you." He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. Will looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, so now you are giving me a decent kiss, but in front of the altar you acted like a schoolboy?"

"Did you really want a passionate kiss in front of everyone and your parents?"

"You have a point about that." Will's cheeks flushed red, which made her husband chuckle.

"If you absolutely desire it, I will give you all the affection you desire once the guests have left." This made Will's cheeks turn a deeper shade of red.

"You are a dork." Was all Will could get out as she held him and buried her face in his chest to hide her face. Phobos simply held her and rubbed her back a bit to comfort her. After a while, he held her at arm's length and smiled at her.

"Are you going to insult me throughout our marriage?"

"Why not? Don't you like it when I call you a dork?" she smiled up at him innocently. "I can call you other things if you like. How about moron?"

"If you keep this up, I'll find a way to get back at you for it."

"Aww, then how about bastard?" Will pretended to be hurt and kept the innocent smile on her face.

"Alright you little spitfire, that is enough for the day." The then turned his attention to the glass walls that separated the quiet of the balcony from the merriment of the party. "Would you like to return to the guests?"

"Can we spend another minute out here? They are giving me a headache." Will replied and leaned against his shoulder with a frown. "Besides, we were having a fun conversation. You finally gave me a nickname after all this time."

"You were after a nickname this entire time?"

"It is only fair after everything I have called you. So, could we please spend another moment alone? It'll probably be hours before the guests even start to leave and Irma would want to be the last, knowing her."

"If you wish so." He replied and lowered his head so he could put his forehead against her's. Will simply smiled and placed a small kiss on his lips. She could count the number of times they had kissed on both hands and wished to change that in the near future.

"I love you Phobos."

"I love you too Wilhelmina."

"Please call me Will, you dork."

"Never."

 _ **THE END**_

Author's Note:

Yup, this is the end of the fanfiction. I am not good at genuine romance and have only ever been to 2 weddings in my life; I know literally nothing about these things. I tried to do some research, but nothing fit the image in my head. Sorry. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!

I got some questions for you.

 _ **QUESTIONS: & your answers **_

are your honest feelings about this fanfiction?

Thank you guys for enjoying this fanfiction. So far all of you guys have been enjoying this and it warms my heart.

do you feel about the characters and their actions? (including the OCs)

So far all of you are enjoying the characters and the OCs, which I am still experimenting with and thank you for enjoying Sophia, I am sorry that the main characters are a little off. I tried to have them resemble the characters from the show/comics and, at the same time, have them act reasonable. With that, I mean that the Prince isn't going to needlessly endanger himself.

do you feel about this attempted blend of Show and Comics?

From what I read in your reviews, you all enjoyed that attempt.

you like a sequel?

All of you guys said you would like to see a sequel and I am working on it.

would you like to see in the sequel?

I am working on it now here is a link: s/13248130/1/WITCH-Cries-from-the-Woods


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